ers  of  Ibistorg 


Margaret  of  Anjou 


BY 


JACOB    ABBOTT 


Allh   ENGRAVINGS 


NEW  YORK  AND  LONDON 

HARPER    &    BROTHERS    PUBLISHERS 

1902 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  sixty-one,  by 

HARDER    &    BROTHERS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Southern  District  of 
New  York. 


PREFACE, 


THE  story  of  Margaret  of  Anjou  forms  a 
part  of  the  history  of  England,  for  the  lady, 
though  of  Continental  origin,  was  the  qween 
of  one  of  the  English  kings,  and  England  was 
the  scene  of  her  most  remarkable  adventures 
and  exploits.  She  lived  in  very  stormy  times, 
and  led  a  very  stormy  life;  and  her  history, 
besides  the  interest  which  it  excites  from  the 
extraordinary  personal  and  political  vicissi- 
tudes which  it  records,  is  also  useful  in  throw- 
ing a  great  deal  of  light  upon  the  ideas  of  right 
and  wrong,  and  of  good  and  evil,  and  upon  the 
manners  and  customs,  both  of  peace  and  war, 
which  prevailed  in  England  during  the  age  of 
chivalry. 


2217510 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGB 

I.   THE    HOUSES    OF    YORK    AND   LANCASTER 15 

U.    MANNERS   AND   CUSTOMS    OF   THE   TIME 30 

III.    KING    HENRY    VI 46 

iv.  MARGARET'S  FATHER  AND  MOTHER 59 

V.    ROYAL   COURTSHIP 75 

VI.    THE    WEDDING 93 

"II.    RECEPTION    IN    ENGLAND 115 

VIII.    THE   STORY    OF   LADY    NEVILLE 125 

IX.    PLOTTINGS 143 

X.    THE    FALL    OF   GLOUCESTER 157 

XI.    THE    FALL    OF   SUFFOLK 171 

XII.    BIRTH    OF    A    PRINCE 188 

XIII.  ILLNESS    OF    THE    KING 199 

XIV.  ANXIETY    AND   TROUBLE 207 

XV.    MARGARET    A    FUGITIVE 222 

XVI.    MARGARET    TRIUMPHANT 231 

XVII.    MARGARET    AN    EXILE 237 

XVIH.    A    ROYAL   COUSIN 244 

XIX.    RETURN   TO    ENGLAND 254 

XX.    YEARS    OF    EXILE 269 

XXI.    THE    RECONCILIATION    WITH    WARWICK 278 

XXII.    BITTER   DISAPPOINTMENT 285 

XXIII.  CHILDLESS,   AND    A    WIDOW 292 

XXIV.  CONCLUSION 306 


E\f    f\    TJ      i     XT     I    XT    P     C 
JNuttaVlJiiJo. 

PAOl 
THE    BRIDAL    PROCESSION Frontispiece . 

GENERAL    MAP 14 

SELECTING    THE    ROSES....... 22 

ORDEAL    COMBAT 35 

HENRY   VI.   IN    HIS    YOUTH 54 

THE    PENANCE 56 

DISTRESS    OF    MARGARET'S    MOTHER 65 

SUFFOLK    PRESENTING    MARGARET   TO    THE    KING 107 

ANCIENT    PORTRAIT    OF    QUEEN    MARGARET 117 

FEMALE   COSTUME    IN    THE   TIME    OF    HENRY    VI 138 

THE    CHARGES    AGAINST    GLOUCESTER 160 

ROUEN 176 

VIEW  OF  BORDEAUX 180 

THE  TEMPLE  GARDEN 1^2 

THE  LITTLE  PRINCE  AND  HIS  SWANS 220 

MURDEP  OF  RICHARD'S  CHILD 235 

LOUIS  XL,  MARGARET'S  COUSIN 251 

MAP  OF  THE  BORDER 255 

MARGARET  AT  THE  CAVE 263 

DEATH  OF  WARWICK 289 

TEWKESBURY 297 

THE  MURDER  OF  PRINCE  HENRY 302 

VIEW  OF  CHERT8EY  .  .  .  308 


MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK  AND  LANCAS- 


TER. 


A  real  heroine.  Two  great  quarrels. 

MAEGAEET  OF  ANJOU  was  a  heroine ; 
not  a  heroine  of  romance  and  fiction,  but 
of  stern  and  terrible  reality.  Her  life  was  a  se- 
ries of  military  exploits,  attended  with  dangers, 
privations,  sufferings,  and  wonderful  vicissi- 
tudes of  fortune,  scarcely  to  be  paralleled  in  the 
whole  history  of  mankind. 

She  was  born  and  lived  in  a  period  during 
which  there  prevailed  in  the  western  part  of 
Europe  two  great  and  dreadful  quarrels,  which 
lasted  for  more  than  a  hundred  years,  and  which 
kept  France  and  England,  and  all  the  countries 
contiguous  to  them,  in  a  state  of  continual  com- 
motion during  all  that  time. 

The  first  of  these  quarrels  grew  out  of  a  dis- 
pute which  arose  among  the  various  branches 
of  the  royal  family  of  England  in  respect  to  the 


16  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Ware  in  France.         Content  between  the  houses  of  York  and  Lancaster. 

succession  to  the  crown.  The  two  principal 
branches  of  the  family  were  the  descendants  re- 
spectively of  the  Dukes  of  York  and  Lancaster, 
and  the  wars  which  they  waged  against  each 
other  are  called  in  history  the  wars  of  the 
houses  of  York  and  Lancaster.  These  wars 
continued  for  several  successive  generations, 
and  Margaret  of  Anjou  was  the  queen  of  one 
of  the  most  prominent  representatives  of  the 
Lancaster  line.  Thus  she  became  most  inti- 
mately involved  in  the  quarrel. 

The  second  great  contention  which  prevailed 
during  this  period  consisted  of  the  wars  waged 
between  France  and  England  for  the  possession 
of  the  territory  which  now  forms  the  northern 
portion  of  France.  A  large  portion  of  that  ter- 
ritory, during  the  reigns  that  immediately  pre- 
ceded the  time  of  Margaret  of  Anjou,  had  be- 
longed to  England.  But  the  kings  of  France 
were  continually  attempting  to  regain  posses- 
sion of  it — the  English,  of  course,  all  the  time 
making  desperate  resistance.  Thus,  for  a  hund- 
red years,  including  the  time  while  Margaret 
lived,  England  was  involved  in  a  double  set  of 
wars — the  one  internal,  being  waged  by  one 
branch  of  the  royal  family  against  the  other  for 
the  possession  of  the  throne,  and  the  other  ex- 
ternal, being  waged  against  France  and  other 


THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK,  ETC.     17 


Origin  of  the  difficulty. 


Continental  powers  for  the  possession  of  the 
towns  and  castles,  and  the  country  dependent 
upon  them,  which  lay  along  the  southern  shore 
of  the  English  Channel. 

In  order  that  the  story  of  Margaret  of  Anjou 
may  be  properly  understood,  it  will  be  necessa- 
ry first  to  give  some  explanations  in  respect  to 
the  nature  of  these  two  quarrels,  and  to  the 
progress  which  had  been  made  in  them  up  to 
the  time  when  Margaret  came  upon  the  stage. 
We  shall  begin  with  the  internal  or  civil  wars 
which  were  waged  between  the  families  of  York 
and  Lancaster.  Some  account  of  the  origin  and 
nature  of  this  difficulty  is  given  in  our  history 
of  Richard  III.,  but  it  is  necessary  to  allude  to 
it  again  here,  and  to  state  some  additional  par- 
ticulars in  respect  to  it,  on  account  of  the  very 
important  part  which  Margaret  of  Anjou  per- 
formed in  the  quarrel. 

The  difficulty  originated  among  the  children 
and  descendants  of  King  Edward  III.  He 
reigned  in  the  early  part  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury. He  occupied  the  throne  a  long  time,  and 
his  reign  was  considered  very  prosperous  and 
glorious.  The  prosperity  and  glory  of  it  con- 
sisted, in  a  great  measure,  in  the  success  of  the 
wars  which  he  waged  in  France,  and  in  the 

towns,  and   castles,  and   districts   of  country 
20-2 


18  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

The  sons  of  Edward  III.  The  Black  Princ«. 

which  he  conquered  there,  and  annexed  to  the 
English  domain. 

In  these  wars  old  King  Edward  was  assisted 
very  much  by  the  princes  his  sons,  who  were 
very  warlike  young  men,  and  who  were  en- 
gaged from  time  to  time  in  many  victorious 
campaigns  on  the  Continent.  They  began  this 
career  when  they  were  very  young,  and  they 
continued  it  through  all  the  years  of  their  man- 
hood and  middle  life,  for  their  father  lived  to 
an  advanced  age. 

The  most  remarkable  of  these  warlike  princes 
were  Edward  and  John.  Edward  was  the  old- 
est son,  and  John  the  third  in  order  of  age  of 
those  who  arrived  at  maturity.  The  name  of 
the  second  was  Lionel.  Edward,  the  oldest 
son,  was  of  course  the  Prince  of  Wales ;  but,  to 
distinguish  him  from  other  Princes  of  Wales 
that  preceded  and  followed  him,  he  is  known 
commonly  in  history  by  the  name  of  the  Black 
Prince.  He  received  this  name  originally  on 
account  of  something  about  his  armor  which 
was  black,  and  which  marked  his  appearance 
among  the  other  knights  on  the  field  of  battle. 

The  Black  Prince  did  not  live  to  succeed  his 
father  and  inherit  the  throne,  for  he  lost  his 
health  in  his  campaigns  on  the  Continent,  and 
came  home  to  England,  and  died  a  few  years 


THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK,  ETC.      19 

Richard  IL  John  of  Gaunt 

before  his  father  died.  His  son,  whose  name 
was  Richard,  was  his  heir,  and  when  at  length 
old  King  Edward  died,  this  young  Richard 
succeeded  to  the  crown,  under  the  title  of  King 
Richard  II.  In  the  history  of  Richard  IL,  in 
this  series,  a  full  account  of  the  life  of  his  fa- 
ther, the  Black  Prince,  is  given,  and  of  the  va- 
rious remarkable  adventures  that  he  met  with 
in  his  Continental  campaigns. 

Prince  John,  the  third  of  the  sons  of  old 
King  Edward,  is  commonly  known  in  history 
as  John  of  Gaunt  This  word  Gaunt  was  the 
nearest  approach  that  the  English  people  could 
make  in  those  days  tc  the  pronunciation  of  the 
word  Ghent,  the  name  of  the  town  where  John 
was  born.  For  King  Edward,  in  the  early 
part  of  his  life,  was  accustomed  to  take  all  his 
family  wHh  him  in  his  Continental  campaigns, 
and  so  his  several  children  were  born  in  differ- 
ent places,  one  in  one  city  and  another  in  an- 
other, and  many  of  them  received  names  from 
the  places  where  they  happened  to  be  born. 

On  the  following  page  we  have  a  genealogic- 
al table  of  the  family  of  Edward  III.  At  the 
head  of  it  we  have  the  names  of  Edward  III. 
and  Philippa  his  wife.  In  a  line  below  are 
the  names  of  those  four  of  his  sons  whose  de- 
scendants figure  in  English  history.  It  was 


20 


MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Genealogical  table  of  the  descendants  of  Edward  III. 

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SELECTING    THE   ROSES. 


THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK,  ETC.     23 

rhe  roses.  The  four  brothers. 

among  the  descendants  of  these  sons  that  the 
celebrated  wars  between  the  houses  of  York 
and  Lancaster,  called  the  wars  of  the  roses, 
arose. 

These  wars  were  called  the  wars  of  the  roses 
from  the  circumstance  that  the  white  and  the 
red  rose  happened  in  some  way  to  be  chosen 
as  the  badges  of  the  two  parties — the  white 
rose  being  that  of  the  house  of  York,  and  the 
red  that  of  the  house  of  Lancaster. 

The  reader  will  observe  that  the  dukes  of 
Lancaster  and  York  are  the  third  and  fourth 
of  the  brothers  enumerated  in  the  table,  where- 
as it  might  have  been  supposed  that  any  con- 
test which  should  have  arisen  in  respect  to  the 
crown  would  have  taken  place  between  fami- 
lies of  the  first  and  second.  But  the  first  and 
second  sons  and  their  descendants  were  soon 
set  aside,  as  it  were,  from  the  competition,  in 
the  following  manner. 

The  line  of  the  first  brother  soon  became  ex- 
tinct. Edward  himself,  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
died  during  his  father's  lifetime,  leaving  his 
son  Richard  as  his  heir.  Then,  when  the  old 
king  died,  Richard  succeeded  him.  As  he  was 
the  oldest  living  son  of  the  oldest  son,  his 
claim  could  not  be  disputed,  and  so  his  uncles 
acquiesced  in  it.  They  wished  very  much,  it 


24          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Ambition  of  Richard's  uncles.    Richard's  character.    Ilia  cousin  Henry. 

is  true,  to  govern  the  realm,  but  they  content- 
ed themselves  with  ruling  in  Richard's  name 
until  he  became  of  age,  and  then  Richard  took 
the  government  into  his  own  hands.  The 
country  was  tolerably  well  satisfied  under  his 
dominion  for  some  years,  but  at  length  Richard 
became  dissipated  and  vicious,  and  he  domin- 
eered over  the  people  of  England  in  so  haugh- 
ty a  manner,  and  oppressed  them  so  severely 
by  the  taxes  and  other  exactions  which  he  laid 
upon  them,  that  a  very  general  discontent  pre- 
vailed at  last  against  him  and  against  his  gov- 
ernment. This  discontent  would  have  given 
either  of  his  uncles  a  great  advantage  in  any 
design  which  they  might  have  formed  to  take 
away  the  crown  from  him.  As  it  was,  it  great- 
ly increased  their  power  and  influence  in  the 
land,  and  diminished,  in  a  corresponding  de- 
gree, that  of  the  king.  The  uncles  appear  to 
have  been  contented  with  this  share  of  power 
and  influence,  which  seemed  naturally  to  fall 
into  their  hands,  and  did  not  attempt  any  open 
rebellion. 

Richard  had  a  cousin,  however,  a  young  man 
of  just  about  his  own  age,  who  was  driven  at 
last,  by  a  peculiar  train  of  circumstances,  to  rise 
against  him.  This  cousin  was  the  son  of  hia 
uncle  John.  His  name  was  Henry  Boling- 


THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK,  ETC.     25 

Quarrel  between  Heury  and  Norfolk.  The  trial. 

broke.  He  appears  in  the  genealogical  table 
as  Henry  IV.,  that  having  been  his  title  subse- 
quently as  King  of  England. 

This  cousin  Henry  became  involved  in  a 
quarrel  with  a  certain  nobleman  named  Nor- 
folk. Indeed,  the  nobles  of  those  days  were 
continually  getting  engaged  in  feuds  and  quar- 
rels, which  they  fought  out  with  the  greatest 
recklessness,  sometimes  by  regular  battles  be- 
tween armies  of  retainers,  and  sometimes  by 
single  combat,  in  which  the  parties  to  the  dis- 
pute were  supposed  to  appeal  to  Almighty 
God,  who  they  believed,  or  professed  to  believe, 
would  give  the  victory  to  the  just  side  in  the 
quarrel.  These  single  combats  were  arranged 
with  great  ceremony  and  parade,  and  were  per- 
formed in  a  very  public  and  solemn  manner; 
being,  in  fact,  a  recognized  and  established  part 
of  the  system  of  public  law  as  administered  in 
those  days.  In  the  next  chapter,  when  speak- 
ing more  particularly  of  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  the  times,  I  shall  give  an  account  in  full 
of  one  of  these  duels.  I  have  only  to  say  here 
that  Richard,  on  hearing  of  the  quarrel  between 
his  cousin  Henry  and  Norfolk,  decreed  that 
they  should  settle  it  by  single  combat,  and  prep- 
arations were  accordingly  made  for  the  trial, 
and  the  parties  appeared,  armed  and  equipped 


26  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Henry  is  Bent  into  banishment. 

for  the  fight,  in  the  presence  of  an  immense 
concourse  of  people  assembled  to  witness  the 
spectacle.  The  king  himself  was  to  preside  on 
the  occasion. 

But  just  before  the  signal  was  to  be  given  for 
the  combat  to  begin,  the  king  interrupted  the 
proceedings,  and  declared  that  he  would  decide 
the  question  himself.  He  pronounced  both  the 
combatants  guilty,  and  issued  a  decree  of  ban- 
ishment against  both.  Henry  submitted,  and 
both  prepared  to  leave  the  country.  These 
transactions,  of  course,  attracted  great  attention 
throughout  England,  and  they  operated  to  bring 
Henry  forward  in  a  very  conspicuous  manner 
before  the  people  of  the  realm.  He  was  in  the 
direct  line  of  succession  to  the  crown,  and  he 
was,  moreover,  a  prince  of  great  wealth,  and  of 
immense  personal  influence,  and  so,  just  in  pro- 
portion as  Richard  himself  was  disliked,  Henry 
would  naturally  become  an  object  of  popular 
sympathy  and  regard.  When  he  set  out  on  his 
journey  toward  the  southern  coast,  in  order  to 
leave  the  country  in  pursuance  of  his  sentence, 
the  people  flocked  along  the  waysides,  and  as- 
sembled in  the  towns  where  he  passed,  as  if  he 
were  a  conqueror  returning  from  his  victories 
instead  of  a  condemned  criminal  going  into 
banishment. 


1400.]  THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK,  ETC.  27 

His  estates  confiscated.  A  revolution. 


Soon  after  this,  the  Duke  of  Lancaster,  Hen- 
ry's father,  died,  and  then  Richard,  instead  of 
allowing  his  cousin  to  succeed  to  the  immense 
estates  which  his  father  left,  confiscated  all  the 
property,  under  the  pretext  that  Henry  had  for- 
feited it,  and  so  converted  it  to  his  own  use. 
This  last  outrage  aroused  Henry  to  such  a  pitch 
of  indignation  that  he  resolved  to  invade  En 
gland,  depose  Eichard.  and  claim  the  crown  for 
himself. 

This  plan  was  carried  into  effect.  Henry 
raised  an  armament,  crossed  the  Channel,  and 
landed  in  England.  The  people  took  sides.  A 
great  majority  sided  with  Henry.  A  full  ac- 
count of  this  insurrection  and  invasion  is  given 
in  our  history  of  Eichard  II.  All  that  it  is  nee- 
essary  to  say  here  is  that  the  revolution  was  ef- 
fected. Eichard  was  deposed,  and  Henry  or> 
tained  possession  of  the  kingdom.  It  was  thus 
that  the  house  of  Lancaster  first  became  estab 
lished  on  the  throne. 

But  you  will  very  naturally  wonder  where 
the  representatives  of  the  second  brother  in 
Edward  the  Third's  family  were  all  this  time, 
and  why,  when  Eichard  was  deposed,  who  was 
the  son  of  the  first  brother,  they  did  not  appear, 
and  advance  their  claims  in  competition  with 
Henry.  The  reason  was  because  there  was  no 


28  MARGAEET  OF  ANJOU. 

The  elder  branches  of  the  family. 

male  heir-  of  that  branch  living  in  that  line. 
You  will  see  by  referring  again  to  the  table  that 
the  only  child  of  Lionel,  the  second  brother, 
was  Philippa,  a  girl.  She  had  a  son,  it  is  true, 
Roger  Mortimer,  as  appears  by  the  table ;  but 
he  was  yet  very  young,  and  could  do  nothing 
to  assert  the  claims  of  his  line.  Besides,  Henry 
pretended  that,  together  with  his  claims  to  the 
throne  through  his  father,  he  had  others  more 
ancient  and  better  founded  still  through  his 
mother,  who,  as  he  attempted  to  prove,  was  de- 
scended from  an  English  king  who  reigned  be- 
fore Edward  III.  The  people  of  England,  as 
they  wished  to  have  Henry  for  king,  were  very 
easily  satisfied  with  his  arguments,  and  so  it 
was  settled  that  he  should  reign.  The  line  of 
this  second  brother,  however,  did  not  give  up 
their  claims,  but  reserved  them,  intending  to  rise 
and  assert  them  on  the  very  first  favorable  op- 
portunity. 

Henry  reigned  about  thirteen  years,  and 
then  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Henry  V.,  as 
appears  by  the  table.  There  was  no  attempt 
to  disturb  the  Lancastrian  line  in  their  posses- 
sion of  the  throne  during  these  two  reigns. 
The  attention,  both  of  the  kings  and  of  the  peo- 
ple3  during  all  this  period,  was  almost  wholly 
engrossed  in  the  wars  which  they  were  waging 


1422.]  THE  HOUSES  OF  YORK,  ETC.   29 


Birth  and  accession  of  Henry  VI. 


in  France.  These  wars  were  very  successful. 
The  English  conquered  province  after  province 
and  castle  after  castle,  until  at  length  almost 
the  whole  country  was  brought  under  their 
sway. 

This  state  of  things  continued  until  the  death 
of  Henry  V.,  which  took  place  in  1422.  He 
left  for  his  heir  a  little  son,  named  also  Henry, 
then  only  about  nine  months  old.  This  infant 
was  at  once  invested  with  the  royal  authority 
as  King  of  England  and  France,  under  the  title 
of  Henry  VI.,  as  seen  by  the  table.  It  was 
this  Henry  who,  when  he  arrived  at  maturity, 
became  the  husband  of  Margaret  of  Anjou,  the 
subject  of  this  volume.  It  was  during  his 
reign,  too,  that  the  first  effective  attempt  was 
made  to  dispute  the  right  of  the  house  of  Lan- 
caster to  the  throne,  and  it  was  in  the  terrible 
contests  which  this  attempt  brought  on  that 
Margaret  displayed  the  extraordinary  military 
heroism  for  which  she  became  so  renowned. 
I  shall  relate  the  early  history  of  this  king,  and 
explain  the  nature  of  the  combination  which 
was  formed  during  his  reign  against  the  Lan- 
castrian line,  in  a  subsequent  chapter,  after 
first  giving  a  brief  account  of  such  of  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  those  times  as  are  neces- 
sary to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  story. 


30  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Th«  nobles.  Their  mode 


CHAPTER  II. 

MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS  OF  THE 
TIME. 

IN  the  days  when  Margaret  of  Anjou  lived, 
the  kings,  princes,  nobles,  and  knights  who 
flourished  in  the  realms  of  England  and  Frajice, 
though  they  were,  relatively  to  the  mass  of  the 
people,  far  more  wealthy,  proud,  and  powerful 
than  their  successors  are  at  the  present  day, 
still  lived  in  many  respects  in  a  very  rude  and 
barbarous  manner.  They  enjoyed  very  few  of 
the  benefits  and  privileges  which  all  classes 
enjoy  in  the  age  in  which  we  live.  They  had 
very  few  books,  and  very  little  advantage  of 
instruction  to  enable  them  to  read  those  that 
they  had.  There  were  no  good  roads  by  which 
they  could  travel  comfortably  from  place  to 
place,  and  no  wheeled  carriages.  They  lived 
in  castles,  very  strongly  built  indeed,  and  very 
grand  and  picturesque  sometimes  in  external 
appearance,  but  very  illy  furnished  and  com- 
fortless within.  The  artisans  were  skillful  in 
fabricating  splendid  caparisons  for  the  horses, 
and  costly  suits  of  glittering  armor  for  the  men, 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.         31 

Retainers  of  the  nobles.  Their  courts. 


and  the  architects  could  construct  grand  cathe- 
drals, and  ornament  them  with  sculptures  and 
columns  which  are  the  wonder  of  the  present 
age.  But  in  respect  to  all  the  ordinary  means 
and  appliances  of  daily  life,  even  the  most 
wealthy  and  powerful  nobles  lived  in  a  very 
barbarous  way. 

The  mass  of  the  common  people  were  held 
in  a  state  of  abject  submission  to  the  will  of 
the  chieftains,  very  much  in  the  condition  of 
slaves,  being  compelled  to  toil  in  the  cultiva- 
tion of  their  masters'  lands,  or  to  go  out  as  sol- 
diers to  fight  in  their  quarrels,  without  receiv- 
ing any  compensation.  The  great  ambition  of 
every  noble  and  knight  was  to  have  as  many 
of  these  retainers  as  possible  under  his  com- 
mand. The  only  limit  to  the  number  which 
each  chieftain  could  assemble  was  his  power 
of  feeding  them.  For  in  those  days  men  could 
be  more  easily  found  to  fight  than  to  engage 
in  any  other  employment,  and  there  were  great 
numbers  always  ready  to  follow  any  command- 
er who  was  able  to  maintain  them. 

Each  great  noble  lived  in  state  in  his  castle, 
like  a  prince  or  a  petty  king.  Those  of  the 
highest  class  had  their  privy  councilors,  treas- 
urers, marshals,  constables,  stewards,  secreta- 
ries, heralds,  pursuivants,  pages,  guards,  trum- 


32  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Great  power  of  the  nobles.  The  Earl  of  Warwick. 

peters — in  short,  all  the  various  officers  that 
were  to  be  found  in  the  court  of  the  sovereign. 
To  these  were  added  whole  bands  of  minstrels, 
mimics,  jugglers,  tumblers,  rope-dancers,  and 
buffoons.  Besides  these,  there  was  always  at- 
tached to  each  great  castle  a  large  company  of 
priests  and  monks,  who  performed  divine  serv- 
ice according  to  the  usages  of  those  times,  in  a 
gorgeously-decorated  chapel  built  for  this  pur- 
pose within  the  castle  walls. 

Thus  the  whole  country  was  divided,  as  it 
were,  into  a  vast  number  of  separate  jurisdic- 
tions, each  with  an  earl,  or  a  baron,  or  a  duke 
at  the  head  of  it,  who  ruled  with  an  almost  ab- 
solute sway  in  every  thing  that  related  to  the 
internal  management  of  his  province,  while, 
however,  he  recognized  a  certain  general  do- 
minion over  all  on  the  part  of  the  king.  Such 
being  the  state  of  the  case,  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  nobles  were  often  powerful  enough, 
as  will  appear  in  the  course  of  this  narrative, 
to  band  together  and  set  up  and  put  down 
kings  at  their  pleasure. 

Perhaps  the  most  powerful  of  all  the  great 
nobles  who  flourished  during  the  time  of  Mar- 
garet of  Anjou  was  the  Earl  of  Warwick.  So 
great  was  his  influence  in  deciding  between  the 
rival  claims  of  different  pretenders  to  the  crown, 


MANNERS  AND  UUSTOMS.         33 

Amusements  of  the  nobility.  Courts  of  justice. 

that  he  is  known  in  history  by  the  title  of  the 
King-maker.  His  wealth  was  so  enormous  that 
it  was  said  that  the  body  of  retainers  that  he 
maintained  amounted  sometimes  in  number  to 
thirty  thousand  men. 

The  employments,  and  even  the  amusements 
of  these  great  barons  and  nobles,  were  all  mili- 
tary. They  looked  down  with  great  disdain 
upon  all  the  useful  pursuits  of  art  and  indus- 
try, regarding  them  as  only  fit  occupations  for 
serfs  and  slaves.  Their  business  was  going  to 
war,  either  independently  against  each  other, 
or,  under  the  command  of  the  king,  against 
some  common  enemy.  When  they  were  not 
engaged  in  any  of  these  wars  they  amused 
themselves  and  the  people  of  their  courts  with 
tournaments,  and  mock  combats  and  encoun- 
ters of  all  kinds,  which  they  arranged  in  open 
grounds  contiguous  to  their  castles  with  great 
pomp  and  parade. 

It  could  not  be  expected  that  such  powerful 
and  warlike  chieftains  as  these  could  be  kept 
much  under  the  control  of  law  by  the  ordinary 
machinery  of  courts  of  justice.  There  were, 
of  course,  laws  and  courts  of  justice  in  those 
days,  but  they  were  administered  chiefly  upon 
the  common  people,  for  the  repression  of  com- 
mon crimes.  The  nobles,  in  their  quarrels  and 

20-3 


MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Quarrels  among  the  nobles.  Dueling. 

contentions  with  each  other,  were  accustomed 
to  settle  the  questions  that  arose  in  other  ways, 
Sometimes  they  did  this  by  marshaling  their 
troops  and  fighting  each  other  in  regular  cam- 
paigns, during  which  they  laid  siege  to  castles, 
and  ravaged  villages  and  fields,  as  in  times  of 
public  war.  Sometimes,  when  the  power  of 
the  king  was  sufficient  to  prevent  such  out- 
breaks as  these,  the  parties  to  the  quarrel  were 
summoned  to  settle  the  dispute  by  single  com- 
bat in  the  presence  of  the  king  and  his  court, 
as  well  as  of  a  vast  multitude  of  assembled 
spectators.  These  single  combats  were  the 
origin  of  the  modern  custom  of  dueling. 

At  the  present  day,  the  settlement  of  dis- 
putes by  a  private  combat  between  the  parties 
to  it  is  made  a  crime  by  the  laws  of  the  land. 
It  is  justly  considered  a  barbarous  and  sense- 
less practice.  The  man  who  provokes  another 
to  a  duel  and  then  kills  him  in  the  fight,  in- 
stead of  acquiring  any  glory  by  the  deed,  has 
to  bear,  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  both  in  his  own 
conscience  and  in  the  opinion  of  mankind,  the 
mark  and  stain  of  murder.  And  when,  in  de- 
fiance of  law,  and  of  the  opinions  and  wishes 
of  all  good  men,  any  two  disputants  who  have 
become  involved  in  a  quarrel  are  rendered  so 
desperate  by  their  angry  passions  as  to  desire 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 


35 


The  ancient  trial  by  combat. 


Old  representation  of  it. 


to  satisfy  them  by  this  mode,  they  are  obliged 
to  resort  to  all  sorts  of  manoeuvres  and  strata- 
gems to  conceal  the  crime  which  they  are  about 
to  commit,  and  to  avoid  the  interference  of 
their  friends  or  of  the  officers  of  the  law. 

In  the  days,  however,  of  the  semi-savage 
knights  and  barons  who  flourished  so  luxuri- 
antly in. the  times  of  which  we  are  writing,  the 
settlement  of  a  dispute  by  single  combat  be- 
tween the  two  parties  to  it  was  an  openly  rec- 
ognized and  perfectly  legitimate  mode  of  arbi- 
tration, and  the  trial  of  the  question  was  con- 
ducted with  forms  and  ceremonies  even  more 


ORDKAL  COMBAT. 


36  MARGARET  OF   ANJOU. 

Henry  Bolingbroke.  Arrangements  mada. 

strict  and  more  solemn  than  those  which  gov- 
erned the  proceedings  in  regular  courts  of  jus- 
tice. 

The  engraving  on  the  preceding  page  is  a 
sort  of  rude  emblematic  representation  of  such 
a  trial,  copied  from  a  drawing  in  an  ancient 
manuscript.  We  see  the  combatants  in  the  fore- 
ground, with  the  judges  and  spectators  behind. 

It  was  to  a  public  and  solemn  combat  of  this 
kind  that  Richard  the  Second  summoned  his 
cousin  Henry  Bolingbroke,  and  his  enemy,  as 
related  in  the  last  chapter.  In  that  instance 
the  combat  was  not  fought,  the  king  having 
taken  the  case  into  his  own  hands,  and  con- 
demned both  the  parties  before  the  contest  was 
begun.  But  in  multitudes  of  other  cases  the 
trial  was  carried  through  to  its  consummation 
in  the  death  of  one  party,  and  the  triumph  and 
acquittal  of  the  other. 

Very  many  detailed  and  full  accounts  of  these 
combats  have  come  down  to  us  in  the  writings 
of  the  ancient  chroniclers.  I  will  here  give  a 
description  of  one  of  them,  as  an  example  of 
this  mode  of  trial,  which  was  fought  in  the  pub- 
lic square  in  front  of  King  Richard  the  Second's 
palace,  the  king  himself,  all  the  principal  nobles 
of  the  court,  and  a  great  crowd  of  other  persons 
being  provided  with  seats  around  the  area  as 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.         37 

Guards.    Gre.it  concourse  of  people.    The  parties.    Nature  of  the  quarrel. 

spectators  of  the  fight.  The  nobles  and  knights 
were  all  dressed  in  complete  armor ;  and  her- 
alds, and  squires,  and  guards  were  stationed  in 
great  numbers  to  regulate  the  proceedings.  It 
was  on  a  bright  morning  in  June  when  the 
combat  was  fought,  and  the  whole  aspect  of  the 
scene  was  that  of  a  grand  and  joyful  spectacle 
on  a  gala  day. 

It  was  estimated  that  more  people  from  the 
surrounding  country  came  to  London  on  the 
occasion  of  this  duel  than  at  the  time  of  the 
coronation  of  the  king.  It  took  place  about 
three  years  after  the  coronation. 

The  parties  to  the  combat  were  John  Annes- 
lie,  a  knight,  and  Thomas  Katrington,  a  squire. 
Anneslie,  the  knight,  was  the  complainant  and 
the  challenger.  Katrington,  the  squire,  was  the 
defendant.  The  circumstances  of  the  case  were 
as  follows. 

Katrington,  the  squire,  was  governor  of  a  cas- 
tle in  Normandy.  The  castle  belonged  to  a 
certain  English  knight  who  afterward  died,  and 
his  estate  descended  to  Anneslie,  the  complain- 
ant in  this  quarrel.  If  the  squire  had  success- 
fully defended  the  castle  from  the  French  who 
attacked  it,  then  it  would  have  descended  with 
the  other  property  to  Anneslie.  But  he  did 
not.  When  the  French  came  and  laid  siege  to 


38  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Castle  lost.  Reason  for  this  mode  of  trial 

the  castle,  Katrington  surrendered  it,  and  so  it 
was  lost.  He  maintained  that  he  had  not  a 
sufficient  force  to  defend  it,  and  that  he  had  no 
alternative  but  to  surrender.  Anneslie,  on  the 
other  hand,  alleged  that  he  might  have  defend- 
ed it,  and  that  he  would  have  done  so  if  he  had 
been  faithful  to  his  trust ;  but  that  he  had  been 
bribed  by  the  French  to  give  it  up.  This  Kat- 
rington denied ;  so  Anneslie,  who  was  very  an- 
gry at  the  loss  of  the  castle,  challenged  him  to 
single  combat  to  try  the  question. 

It  is  plain  that  this  was  a  very  absurd  way 
of  attempting  to  ascertain  whether  Katrington 
had  or  had  not  been  bribed ;  but,  as  the  affair 
had  occurred  some  years  before,  and  in  another 
country,  and  as,  moreover,  the  giving  and  re- 
ceiving of  bribes  are  facts  always  very  difficult 
to  be  proved  by  ordinary  evidence,  it  was  de- 
cided by  the  government  of  the  king  that  this 
was  a  proper  case  for  the  trial  by  combat,  and 
both  parties  were  ordered  to  prepare  for  the 
fight.  The  day,  too,  was  fixed,  and  the  place—- 
the public  square  opposite  the  king's  palace — 
was  appointed.  As  the  time  drew  nigh,  the 
whole  country  for  many  miles  around  was  ex- 
cited to  the  highest  pitch  of  interest  and  expec- 
tation. 

At  the  place  where  the  combat  was  to  be 


MANNERS  AND  UUSTOMS.        39 

The  company  assemble.     The  combatants  appear.     The  horse  excluded. 

fought  a  large  space  was  railed  in  by  a  very 
substantial  barricade.  The  barricade  was  made 
very  strong,  so  as  to  resist  the  utmost  possible 
pressure  of  the  crowd.  Elevated  seats,  com- 
manding a  full  view  of  the  lists,  as  the  area 
railed  in  was  called,  were  erected  for  the  use  of 
the  king  and  the  nobles  of  the  court,  and  all 
other  necessary  preparations  were  made.  When 
the  hour  arrived  on  the  appointed  day,  the  king 
and  the  nobles  came  in  great  state  and  took  their 
places.  The  whole  square,  with  the  exception 
of  the  lists  and  proper  avenues  of  approach, 
which  were  kept  open  by  the  men-at-arms,  had 
long  since  been  filled  with  an  immense  crowd 
of  people  from  the  surrounding  country.  At 
length,  after  a  brief  period  of  expectation,  the 
challenger,  Anneslie,  was  seen  coming  along 
one  of  the  approaches,  mounted  on  a  horse 
splendidly  caparisoned,  and  attended  by  sever- 
al knights  and  squires,  his  friends,  all  complete- 
ly armed. 

He  stopped  when  he  reached  the  railing  and 
dismounted  from  his  horse.  It  was  against  the 
laws  of  the  combat  for  either  party  to  enter  the 
lists  mounted.  If  a  horse  went  within  the  in- 
closure  he  was  forfeited  by  that  act  to  a  certain 
public  officer  called  the  high  constable  of  En- 
gland, who  was  responsible  for  the  regularity 
and  order  of  the  proceedings. 


40  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Summons  to  the  accused.  Appearance  of  Katrington. 

Anneslie,  having  thus  dismounted  from  his 
horse  with  the  assistance  of  his  attendants, 
walked  into  the  lists  all  armed  and  equipped 
for  the  fight.  His  squires  attended  him.  He 
walked  there  to  and  fro  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
a  herald,  blowing  a  trumpet,  summoned  the 
accused  to  appear. 

"Thomas  Katrington!  Thomas  Katring- 
ton !"  he  cried  out  in  a  loud  voice,  "  come  and 
appear,  to  save  the  action  for  which  Sir  John 
Anneslie,  knight,  hath  publicly  and  by  writing 
appealed  thee !" 

Three  times  the  herald  proclaimed  this  sum- 
mons. At  the  third  time  Katrington  appeared. 

He  came,  as  Anneslie  had  come,  mounted 
upon  a  war-horse  splendidly  caparisoned,  and 
with  his  arms  embroidered  on  the  trappings. 
He  was  attended  by  his  friends,  the  representa- 
tives of  the  seconds  of  the  modern  duel.  The 
two  stopped  at  the  entrance  of  the  lists,  and 
dismounting,  passed  into  the  lists  on  foot.  Ev- 
ery body  being  now  intent  on  the  combatants, 
the  horse  for  the  moment  was  let  go,  and,  be- 
ing eager  to  follow  his  master,  he  ran  up  and 
down  along  the  railing,  reaching  his  head  and 
neck  over  as  far  as  he  could,  and  trying  to  get 
over.  At  length  he  was  taken  and  led  away : 
but  the  lord  high  constable  said  at  once  that 


MANNERS  AND   CUSTOMS.         41 

Horse's  head  forfeited.  The  pleadings.  Katrington  it  ready. 

he  should  claim  him  for  having  entered  the 
lists. 

"  At  least,"  said  he,  "  I  shall  claim  his  head 
and  neck,  and  as  much  of  him  as  was  over  the 
railing." 

The  combatants  now  stood  confronting  each 
other  within  the  lists.  A  written  document 
was  produced,  which  had  been  prepared,  as  was 
said,  by  consent  of  both  parties,  containing  a 
statement  of  the  charge  made  against  Katring- 
ton, namely,  that  of  treason,  in  having  betray- 
ed to  the  enemy  for  money  a  castle  intrusted 
to  his  charge,  and  his  reply.  The  herald  read 
this  document  with  a  loud  voice,  in  order  that 
all  the  assembly,  or  as  many  as  possible,  might 
hear  it.  As  soon  as  it  was  read,  Katrington 
began  to  take  exceptions  to  some  passages  in 
it.  The  Duke  of  Lancaster,  who  seemed  to 
preside  on  the  occasion,  put  an  end  to  his  crit- 
icisms at  once,  saying  that  he  had  already 
agreed  to  the  paper,  and  that  now,  if  he  made 
any  difficulty  about  it,  and  refused  to  fight,  he 
should  be  adjudged  guilty  of  the  treason,  and 
should  at  once  be  led  out  to  execution. 

Katrington  then  said  that  he  was  ready  to 
fight  his  antagonist,  not  only  on  the  points 
raised  in  the  document  which  had  been  read, 
but  on  any  and  all  other  points  whatever  that 


42  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Singular  oath  administered.  The  buttle. 

might  be  laid  to  his  charge.  He  had  entire 
confidence,  he  said,  that  the  justice  of  his  cause 
would  secure  him  the  victory. 

The  next  proceeding  in  this  strange  ceremo- 
ny was  singular  enough.  It  was  the  solemn 
administering  of  an  oath  to  each  of  the  combat- 
ants, by  which  oath  they  severally  swore  that 
the  cause  in  which  they  were  to  fight  was  true, 
and  that  they  did  not  deal  in  any  witchcraft  or 
magic  art,  by  which  they  expected  to  gain  the 
victory  over  their  adversary ;  and  also,  that 
they  had  not  about  their  persons  any  herb  or 
stone,  or  charm  of  any  kind,  by  which  they 
hoped  to  obtain  any  advantage. 

After  this  oath  had  been  administered,  time 
was  allowed  for  the  combatants  to  say  their 
prayers.  This  ceremony  they  performed  ap- 
parently in  a  very  devout  manner,  and  then 
the  battle  began. 

The  combatants  fought  first  with  spears,  then 
with  swords,  and  finally,  coming  to  very  close 
quarters,  with  daggers.  Anneslie  seemed  to 
gain  the  advantage.  He  succeeded  in  disarm- 
ing Katrington  of  one  after  another  of  hia 
weapons,  and  finally  threw  him  down.  When 
Katrington  was  down,  Anneslie  attempted  to 
throw  himself  upon  him,  in  order  to  crush  him 
with  the  weight  of  his  heavy  iron  armor.  Bat 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.         43 

The  proceedings  arrested  by  the  king. 

he  was  exhausted  by  the  heat  and  by  the  exer- 
tion which  he  had  made,  and  the  perspiration 
running  down  from  his  forehead  under  his  hel- 
met blinded  his  eyes,  so  that  he  could  not  see 
exactly  where  Katrington  was,  and,  instead  of 
falling  upon  him,  he  came  down  upon  the 
ground  at  a  little  distance  away.  Katrington 
then  contrived  to  make  his  way  to  Anneslie 
and  to  get  upon  him,  thus  pressing  him  down 
to  the  ground  with  his  weight.  The  combat- 
ants lay  thus  a  few  minutes  locked  together  on 
the  ground,  and  struggling  with  each  other  as 
well  as  their  heavy  and  cumbrous  armor  would 
permit,  Katrington  being  all  the  time  upper- 
most, when  the  king  at  length  gave  orders  that 
the  contest  should  cease  and  that  the  men 
should  be  separated. 

In  obedience  to  these  orders,  some  men  came 
to  rescue  Anneslie  by  taking  Katrington  off 
from  him.  But  Anneslie  begged  them  not  to 
interfere.  And  when  the  men  had  taken  Kat- 
rington off,  he 'urged  them  to  place  him  back 
upon  him  again  as  he  was  before,  for  he  said 
he  himself  was  not  hurt  at  all,  and  he  had  no 
doubt  that  he  should  gain  the  victory  if  they 
would  leave  him  alone.  The  men,  however, 
having  the  king's  order  for  what  they  were  do- 
ing, paid  no  heed  to  Anneslie's  requests,  but 
roceeded  to  lead  Katrincton  awav. 


44  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Katrington's  condition.  Anneslie's  request  to  the  king. 

They  found  that  he  was  so  weak  and  ex- 
hausted that  he  could  not  stand.  They  led 
him  to  a  chair,  and  then,  taking  off  his  helmet, 
they  tried  to  revive  him  by  bathing  his  face 
and  giving  him  some  wine. 

In  the  mean  time,  Anneslie,  finding  that 
Katrington  was  taken  away,  allowed  himself 
to  be  lifted  up.  When  set  upon  his  feet,  he 
walked  along  toward  the  part  of  the  inclosure 
which  was  near  the  king's  seat,  and  begged  the 
king  to  allow  the  combat  to  proceed.  He  said 
he  was  sure  that  he  should  obtain  the  victory 
if  they  would  but  permit  him  to  continue  the 
combat  to  the  end.  Finally  the  king  and  no- 
bles gave  their  consent,  and  ordered  that  An- 
neslie should  be  placed  upon  the  ground  again, 
and  Katrington  upon  him,  in  the  same  posi- 
tion, as  nearly  as  possible,  as  before. 

But  on  going  again  to  Katrington  with  a 
view  of  executing  this  decree,  they  found  that 
he  was  in  such  a  condition  as  to  preclude  the 
possibility  of  it.  He  had  fainted  and  fallen 
down  out  of  his  chair  in  a  deadly  swoon.  He 
seemed  not  to  be  wounded,  but  to  be  utterly 
exhausted  by  the  heat,  the  weight  of  his  ar- 
mor, and  the  extreme  violence  of  the  exertion 
which  he  had  made.  His  friends  raised  him 
up  again,  and  proceeded  to  unbuckle  and  take 


MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS.         45 

Anneslie's  rage.  The  termination  of  the  triaL 

off  his  armor.  Relieved  from  this  burden,  he 
began  to  come  to  himself.  He  opened  his  eyes 
and  looked  around,  staring  with  a  wild,  bewil- 
dered, and  ghastly  look,  which  moved  the  pity 
of  all  the  beholders,  that  is,  of  all  but  Anneslie. 
He,  on  leaving  the  king,  came  to  where  poor 
Katrington  was  sitting,  and,  full  of  rage  and 
hate,  began  to  taunt  and  revile  him,  calling 
him  traitor,  and  false,  perjured  villain,  and  dar- 
ing him  to  come  out  again  into  the  area  and 
finish  the  fight. 

To  this  Katrington  made  no  answer,  but 
stared  wildly  about  with  a  crazed  look,  as  if  he 
did  not  know  where  he  was  or  what  they  were 
doing  to  him. 

So  the  farther  prosecution  of  the  combat  was 
relinquished.  Anneslie  was  declared  the  vic- 
tor, and  poor  Katrington  was  deemed  to  be 
proved,  by  his  defeat,  guilty  of  the  treason 
which  had  been  charged  against  him.  He  was 
borne  away  by  his  friends,  and  put  into  his 
bed.  He  continued  delirious  all  that  night, 
and  the  next  morning  at  nine  o'clock  he  died. 

Thus  was  this  combat  fought,  as  the  ancient 
historian  says,  to  the  great  rejoicing  of  the 
common  people  and  the  discouragement  of 
traitors ! 


46  MARGARET  OF   ANJOU.      [1422. 

King  Henry's  accession.  His  uncles. 


CHAPTER  III. 
KING  HENRY  VI. 

KING  HENKY  THE  SIXTH,  who  sub- 
sequently became  the  husband  of  Mar- 
garet of  Anjou,  \vas  only  about  nine  months 
old,  as  has  already  been  said,  when  he  succeed- 
ed to  the  throne  by  the  death  of  his  father. 
He  was  proclaimed  by  the  heralds  to  the  sound 
of  trumpets  and  drums,  in  all  parts  of  London, 
while  he  was  yet  an  infant  in  his  nurse's  arms. 

Of  course  the  question  was  now  who  should 
have  the  rule  in  England  while  Henry  remain- 
ed a  child.  And  this  question  chiefly  affected 
the  little  king's  uncles,  of  whom  there  were 
three — all  rude,  turbulent,  and  powerful  no- 
bles, such  as  were  briefly  described  in  the  last 
chapter.  Each  of  them  had  a  powerful  band 
of  retainers  and  partisans  attached  to  his  serv- 
ice, and  the  whole  kingdom  dreaded  greatly 
the  quarrels  which  every  one  knew  were  now 
likely  to  break  out. 

The  oldest  of  these  uncles  was  Thomas.  He 
was  Duke  of  Exeter. 

The  second  was  John.  He  was  Duke  of 
Bedford. 


1422.]          KING  HENRY  VI.  47 

Division  of  power.  Quarrels. 

The  third  was  Humphrey.  He  was  Duke 
of  Gloucester.  Thomas  and  Humphrey  seem 
to  have  been  in  England  at  the  time  of  their 
brother  the  old  king's  death.  John,  or  Bed- 
ford, as  he  was  commonly  called,  was  in  France, 
where  he  had  been  pursuing  a  very  renowned 
and  successful  career,  in  extending  and  main- 
taining the  English  conquests  in  that  country. 

The  leading  nobles  and  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment were  assembled  in  council  soon  after 
the  old  king's  death,  and  in  order  to  prevent 
the  breaking  out  of  the  quarrels  which  were 
otherwise  to  have  been  anticipated  between, 
these  uncles,  they  determined  to  divide  the 
power  as  nearly  as  possible  in  an  equal  manner 
among  them.  So  they  appointed  Thomas,  the 
Duke  of  Exeter,  who  seems  to  have  been  less 
ambitious  and  warlike  in  his  character  than  the 
rest,  to  the  charge  and  custody  of  the  young 
king's  person.  Humphrey,  the  Duke  of  Glou- 
cester, was  made  Protector  of  England,  and 
John,  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  the  Regent  of 
France.  Thus  they  were  all  seemingly  satis- 
fied. 

But  the  peace  which  resulted  from  this  ar- 
rangement did  not  continue  very  long.  Pretty 
soon  a  certain  Henry  Beaufort,  a  bishop,  was 
appointed  to  be  associated  with  Henry's  uncle 


48  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1422. 

Beaufort  and  Gloucester.  Progress  of  the  quarrel. 

Thomas  in  the  personal  charge  of  the  king. 
This  Henry  Beaufort  was  Henry's  great-uncle, 
being  one  of  the  sons  of  John  of  Gaunt.  He 
was  a  younger  son  of  his  father,  and  so  was 
brought  up  to  the  Church,  and  had  been  ap- 
pointed Bishop  of  Winchester,  and  afterward 
made  a  cardinal.  Thus  he  occupied  a  very  ex- 
alted position,  and  possessed  a  degree  of  wealth, 
and  power,  and  general  consequence  little  infe- 
rior to  those  of  the  grandest  nobles  in  the  land. 
He  was  a  man,  too,  of  great  capacity,  very  skill- 
ful in  manoeuvring  and  intriguing,  and  he  im- 
mediately began  to  form  ambitious  schemes  for 
himself  which  he  designed  to  carry  into  effect 
through  the  power  which  the  custody  of  the 
young  king  gave  him.  He  was,  of  course,  very 
jealous  of  the  influence  and  power  of  the  Duke 
of  Gloucester,  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  be- 
came very  jealous  of  him.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore occasions  arose  which  brought  the  two 
men,  and  their  bands  of  followers,  into  direct 
and  open  collision. 

I  can  not  here  go  into  a  full  account  of  the 
particulars  of  the  quarrel.  One  of  the  first  dif- 
ficulties was  about  the  Tower  of  London,  which 
Beaufort  had  under  his  command,  and  where 
there  was  a  prisoner  whom  Gloucester  wished 
to  set  at  liberty.  Then  there  was  a  great  riot 


1422.]          KING  HENRY  VI.  49 

Bedford  summoned  home  from  France. 

and  disturbance  on  London  Bridge,  which  threw 
the  whole  city  of  London  into  a  state  of  alarm. 
Beaufort  alleged  that  Gloucester  had  formed  a 
plan  to  seize  the  person  of  the  king  and  take 
him  away  from  Beaufort's  custody;  and  that 
he  had  designs,  moreover,  on  Beaufort's  life. 
To  defend  himself,  and  to  prevent  Gloucester 
from  coming  to  the  palace  where  he  was  resid- 
ing, he  seized  and  fortified  the  passages  leading 
to  the  bridge.  He  built  barricades,  and  took 
down  the  chains  of  the  portcullis,  and  assem- 
bled a  large  armed  force  to  guard  the  point. 
The  people  of  London  were  in  great  alarm. 
They  set  watches  day  and  night  to  protect  their 
property  from  the  anticipated  viole  ice  of  the 
soldiers  and  pirtisans  of  the  combatants,  and 
thus  all  was  commotion  and  fear.  Of  course 
there  were  no  courts  of  justice  powerful  enough 
to  control  such  a  contest  as  this,  and  finally  the 
people  sent  oif  a  delegation  x>  the  Duke  of  Bed- 
ford in  France,  imploring  him  to  come  to  En- 
gland immediately  and  st  e  if  he  could  not  set- 
tle the  quarrel. 

The  Duke  of  Bedford  c.f'.me.  A  Parliament 
was  convened,  and  the  questions  at  issue  be- 
tween the  two  great  disp  utants  were  brought  to 
a  solemn  trial.  The  Duke  of  Gloucester  made 

out  a  series  of  heavy  charges  against  the  cardi- 
20—4 


50  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1422. 


Death  of  Bedford. 


nal,  and  the  cardinal  made  a  formal  reply  which 
contained  not  only  his  defense,  but  also  counter 
charges  against  the  duke.  These  papers  were 
drawn  up  with  great  technicality  and  ceremony 
by  the  lawyers  employed  on  each  side  to  man- 
age the  case,  and  were  submitted  to  the  Duke 
of  Bedford  and  to  the  Parliament.  A  series  of 
debates  ensued,  in  which  the  friends  of  the  two 
parties  respectively  brought  criminations  and  re- 
criminations against  each  other  without  end. 
The  result  was,  as  is  usual  in  such  cases,  that 
both  sides  appeared  to  have  been  to  blame,  and 
in  order  to  settle  the  dispute  a  sort  of  compro- 
mise was  effected,  with  which  both  parties  pro- 
fessed to  be  satisfied,  and  a  reconciliation,  or 
what  outwardly  appeared  to  be  s  ich,  was  made. 
A  new  division  of  powers  and  prerogatives  be- 
tween Gloucester,  as  Protector  of  England,  and 
Beaufort,  as  custodian  of  the  king,  was  ar- 
ranged, and  peace  leing  thus  restored,  Bedford 
went  back  again  to  France. 

Things  went  on  to  erably  well  after  this  for. 
many  years ;  that  is,  chere  were  no  more  open 
outbreaks,  though  the  old  jealousy  and  hatred 
between  Gloucester  and  the  cardinal  still  con- 
tinued. The  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Bedford 
held  both  parties  in  check  as  long  as  the  duke 
lived.  At  length,  however,  when  the  young 


1422.]          KING  HENRY  VI.  51 

Anecdote.  Generosity  of  the  French  king. 

king  was  about  fourteen  years  old,  the  Duke  of 
Bedford  died.  He  was  in  France  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  buried  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony  in  the  city  of  Eouen,  which  had 
been  in  some  sense  the  head-quarters  of  his  do- 
minion in  that  country,  and  a  splendid  monu- 
ment was  erected  over  his  tomb. 

A  curious  anecdote  is  related  of  the  King 
of  France  in  relation  to  this  tomb.  Some  time 
after  the  tomb  was  built  Rouen  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  French,  and  some  persons  pro- 
posed to  break  down  the  monument  which  had 
been  built  in  memory  of  their  old  enemy ;  but 
the  King  of  France  would  not  listen  to  the 
proposal. 

"  What  honor  shall  it  be  to  us,"  said  he,  "  or 
to  you,  to  break  down  the  monument,  or  to 
pull  out  of  the  ground  the  dead  bones  of  him 
whom,  in  his  life,  neither  my  father  nor  your 
progenitors,  with  all  their  power,  influence,  and 
friends,  were  ever  able  to  make  flee  one  foot 
backward,  but  who,  by  his  strength,  wit,  and 
policy,  kept  them  all  at  bay.  Wherefore  I 
say,  let  God  have  his  soul ;  and  for  his  body, 
let  it  rest  in  peace  where  they  have  laid  it." 

When  King  Henry  was  old  enough  to  be 
crowned,  in  addition  to  the  English  part  of  the 
ceremony,  he  wect  to  France  to  receive  the 


52  MARGARET  OF   AXJOU.      [1422. 

Coronation  of  the  young  king  in  France.  Curious  pngeanta. 

crown  of  that  country  too.  The  ceremony,  as 
is  usual  with  the  French  kings,  was  performed 
at  the  town  of  St.  Denis,  near  Paris,  where  is 
an  ancient  royal  chapel,  in  which  all  the  great 
religious  ceremonies  connected  with  the  French 
monarchy  have  been  performed.  A  very  cu- 
rious account  is  given  by  the  ancient  chroni- 
clers of  the  pageants  and  ceremonies  which 
were  enacted  on  this  occasion.  The  king  pro- 
ceeded into  France  and  journeyed  to  St.  Denis 
at  the  head  of  a  grand  cavalcade  of  knights, 
nobles,  and  men-at-arms,  amounting  to  many 
thousand  men,  all  of  whom  were  adorned  with 
dresses  and  trappings  of  the  most  gorgeous  de- 
scription. At  St.  Denis  the  authorities  came 
out  to  meet  the  king,  dressed  in  robes  of  ver- 
milion, and  bearing  splendid  banners.  The 
king  was  presented,  as  he  passed  through  the 
gates,  "  with  three  crimson  hearts,  in  one  of 
which  were  two  doves;  in  another,  several 
small  birds,  which  were  let  fly  over  his  head ; 
while  the  third  was  filled  with  violets  and 
flowers,  which  were  thrown  over  the  lords 
that  attended  and  followed  him." 

At  the  same  place,  too,  a  company  of  the 
principal  civic  dignitaries  of  the  town  appeared, 
bearing  a  gorgeous  canopy  of  blue  silk,  adorned 
and  embroidered  in  the  most  beautiful  manner 


1422.]          KING  HENRY  VI.  53 

Curious  pageants.  The  coronation. 

with  royal  emblems.  This  canopy  they  held 
over  the  king  as  he  advanced  into  the  town. 

At  one  place  farther  on,  where  there  was  a 
little  bridge  to  be  crossed,  there  was  a  pageant 
of  three  savages  fighting  about  a  woman  in  a 
mimic  forest.  The  savages  continued  fighting 
until  the  king  had  passed  by.  Next  came  a 
fountain  flowing  with  wine,  with  mermaids 
swimming  about  in  it.  The  wine  in  this  fount- 
ain was  free  to  all  who  chose  to  come  and 
drink  it. 

Then,  farther  still,  the  royal  party  came  to 
a  place  where  an  artificial  forest  had  been  made, 
by  some  means  or  other,  in  a  large,  open  square. 
There  was  a  chase  going  on  in  this  forest  at  the 
time  when  the  king  went  by.  The  chase  con- 
sisted of  a  living  stag  hunted  by  real  dogs. 
The  stag  came  and  took  j-efuge  at  the  feet  of 
the  king's  horse,  and  his  majesty  saved  the 
poor  animal's  life. 

Thus  the  king  was  conducted  to  his  palace. 
Several  days  were  spent  in  preliminary  pa- 
geants and  ceremonies  like  the  above,  and  then 
the  coronation  took  place  in  the  church,  the 
king  and  his  party  being  stationed  on  a  large 
platform  raised  for  the  purpose  in  the  most 
conspicuous  part  of  the  edifice. 

After  the  coronation  there  was  a  grand  ban- 


MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1441. 


The  banquet. 


Picture  of  the  king. 


quet,  at  which  the  king,  with  his  lords  and 
great  officers  of  state,  sat  at  a  marble  table  in 
a  magnificent  ancient  hall.  Henry  Beaufort, 
the  Bishop  of  Winchester,  was  the  principal 
personage  in  all  these  ceremonies  next  to  the 
king.  Gloucester  was  very  jealous  of  him,  in 
respect  to  the  conspicuous  part  which  he  took 
in  these  proceedings. 

Henry  was  quite  young  at  the  time  of  his  cor- 
onations. He  was  a  very  pretty  boy,  and  his 
countenance  wore  a  mild  and  gentle  expression. 


UENBY   VI.    IN   HI8   YOUTH. 


1441.]          KING  HENRY  VI.  57 

The  old  quarrel  broke  out  again.  The  duchess's  penance. 

The  quarrel  between  the  Duke  of  Gloucester 
and  the  bishop  was  kept,  in  some  degree,  sub- 
dued during  this  period,  partly  by  the  influence 
of  the  Duke  of  Bedford  while  he  lived,  and 
partly  by  Gloucester's  mind  being  taken  up  to 
a  considerable  extent  with  other  things,  espe- 
cially with  his  campaigns  in  France;  for  he 
was  engaged  during  the  period  of  the  king's 
minority  in  many  important  military  expedi- 
tions in  that  country.  At  length,  however,  he 
came  back  to  England,  and  there,  when  the 
king  was  about  twenty  years  of  age,  the  quar- 
rel between  him  and  the  bishop's  party  broke 
out  anew.  The  king  himself  was,  however, 
now  old  enough  to  take  some  part  in  such  a 
difficulty,  and  so  both  sides  appealed  to  him. 
Gloucester  made  out  a  series  of  twenty-four  ar- 
ticles of  complaint  against  the  bishop.  The 
bishop,  on  the  other  hand,  accused  the  duke 
of  treason,  and  he  specially  charged  that  his 
wife  had  attempted  to  destroy  the  life  of  the 
king  by  witchcraft.  The  duchess  was  con- 
demned on  this  charge,  and  it  is  said  that,  by 
way  of  penance,  she  was  sentenced  to  walk 
barefoot  through  the  most  public  street  in  Lon- 
don with  a  lighted  taper  in  her  hand.  Some 
other  persons,  who  were  accused  of  being  ac- 
complices in  this  crime,  were  put  to  death. 


58  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1441, 

Witchcraft.  Position  01  the  king.  Scheme  formed  by  Beaufort. 

The  witchcraft  which  it  was  said  these  per- 
sons practiced  was  that  of  making  a  waxen 
image  of  the  king,  and  then,  after  connecting 
it  with  him  in  some  mysterious  and  magical 
way  by  certain  charms  and  incantations,  melt- 
ing it  away  by  degrees  before  a  slow  fire,  by 
which  means  the  king  himself,  as  was  sup- 
posed, would  be  caused  to  pine  and  wither 
away,  and  at  last  to  die.  It  was  universally 
believed  in  those  days  that  this  could  be  done. 

Of  course,  such  proceedings  as  these  only  em- 
bittered the  quarrel  more  an,d  more,  and  Glou- 
cester became  more  resolute  and  determined 
than  ever  in  prosecuting  his  intrigues  for  de- 
priving the  bishop  of  influence,  and  for  getting 
the  power  into  his  own  hands.  The  king, 
though  he  favored  the  cardinal,  was  so  quiet 
and  gentle  in  his  disposition,  and  so  little  dis- 
posed to  take  an  active  part  in  such  a  quarrel, 
that  the  bishop  could  not  induce  him  to  act  as 
decidedly  as  he  wished.  So  he  finally  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  finding  some  very  intelligent 
and  capable  princess  as  a  wife  for  the  king,  hop- 
ing to  increase  the  power  which  he  exercised 
in  the  realm  through  his  influence  over  her. 

The  lady  that  he  selected  for  this  purpose 
was  Margaret  of  Anjou. 


1420.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.  59 

Provinces  of  France.  Great  families. 


CHAPTER  IV. 
MARGARET'S  FATHER  AND  MOTHER. 

IN  former  times,  the  territory  which  now  con- 
stitutes France  was  divided  into  a  great 
number  of  separate  provinces,  each  of  which 
formed  almost  a  distinct  state  or  kingdom. 
These  several  provinces  were  the  possessions 
of  lords,  dukes,  and  barons,  who  ruled  over 
them,  respectively,  like  so  many  petty  kings, 
with  almost  absolute  sway,  though  they  all  ac- 
knowledged a  general  allegiance  to  the  kings 
of  France  or  of  England.  The  more  northern 
provinces  pertained  to  England.  Those  in  the 
interior  and  southern  portions  of  the  country 
were  under  the  dominion  of  France. 

The  great  families  who  held  these  provinces 
as  their  possessions  ruled  over  them  in  a  very 
lordly  manner.  They  regarded  not  only  the 
territory  itself  which  they  held,  but  the  right  to 
govern  the  inhabitants  of  it  as  a  species  of  prop- 
erty, which  was  subject,  like  any  other  estate, 
to  descend  from  parent  to  child  by  hereditary 
right,  to  be  conveyed  to  another  owner  by 
treaty  or  surrender,  to  be  assigned  to  a  bride 


60  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1420. 

Anjou.  King  Rene.  Lorraine. 

as  her  marriage  portion,  or  to  be  disposed  of  in 
any  other  way  that  the  lordly  proprietors  might 
prefer.  These  great  families  took  ther  names 
from  the  provinces  over  which  they  ruled. 

One  of  these  provinces  was  Anjou.*  The 
father  of  Margaret,  the  subject  of  this  history, 
was  a  celebrated  personage  named  Regnier  or 
Rene,  commonly  called  King  Rene".  He  was  a 
younger  son  of  the  family  which  reigned  over 
Anjou.  It  is  from  this  circumstance  that  our 
heroine  derives  the  name  by  which  she  is  gen- 
erally designated  —  Margaret  of  Anjou.  The 
reason  why  her  father  was  called  King  Rene* 
will  appear  in  the  sequel. 

Another  of  the  provinces  of  France  above 
referred  to  was  Lorraine.  Lorraine  was  a  large, 
and  beautiful,  and  very  valuable  country,  situ- 
ated toward  the  eastern  part  of  France.  Anjou 
was  considerably  to  the  westward  of  it. 

The  name  of  the  Duke  of  Lorraine  at  this 
time  was  Charles.  He  had  a  daughter  named 
Isabella.  She  was  the  heiress  to  all  her  father's 
possessions.  She  was  a  young  lady  of  great 
beauty,  of  high  spirit,  of  a  very  accomplished 
education,  according  to  the  ideas  of  those  times. 
When  Rene  was  about  fourteen  years  old  a 
match  was  arranged  between  him  and  Isabella, 

*  See  map  at  the  commencement  of  the  volume. 


1429.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.          61 

Marriage  of  Rene  to  Isabella.  Birth  of  Margaret.  Theophanie. 

who  was  then  only  about  ten.  The  marriage 
was  celebrated  with  great  parade,  and  the 
youthful  pair  went  to  reside  at  a  palace  called 
Pont  a  Mousson,  in  a  grand  castle  which  was 
given  to  Isabella  by  her  father  as  a  bridal  gift 
at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Here  it  was  ex- 
pected that  they  would  live  until  the  death  of 
her  father,  when  they  were  to  come  into  pos- 
session of  the  whole  province  of  Lorraine. 

In  process  of  time,  while  living  at  this  castle, 
Rend  and  Isabella  had  several  children.  Mar- 
garet was  the  fifth.  She  was  born  in  1429. 
Her  birthday  was  March  23. 

The  little  infant  was  put  under  the  charge 
of  a  family  nurse  named  Theophanie.  Theo- 
phanie was  a  long-tried  and  very  faithful  do- 
mestic. She  was  successively  the  nurse  to  all 
of  Isabella's  children,  and  the  family  became  so 
much  attached  to  her  that  when  she  died  Rene 
caused  a  beautiful  monument  to  be  raised  to 
her  memory.  This  monument  contained  a 
sculptured  image  of  Theophanie,  with  two  of 
the  children  in  her  arms. 

Very  soon  after  her  birth  Margaret  was  bap 
tized  with  great  pomp  in  the  Cathedral  in  the 
town  of  Toul.  A  large  number  of  relatives  of 
high  rank  witnessed  and  took  part  in  the  cere- 
mony. 


62  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1431. 

Isabella's  uncle  Antoine.  Conflict  for  the  possession  of  Lorraine. 

When  at  length  Charles,  Duke  of  Lorraine, 
Isabella's  father,  died,  and  the  province  should 
have  descended  to  Isabella  and  Rene,  there  sud- 
denly appeared  another  claimant,  who  thought, 
not  that  he  had  a  better  right  to  the  province 
than  Isabella,  but  that  he  had  more  power  to 
seize  and  hold  it  than  she,  even  with  all  the  aid 
that  her  husband  Rene  could  afford  her.  This 
claimant  was  Isabella's  uncle,  the  younger 
brother  of  Duke  Charles  who  had  just  died. 
His  name  was  Antoine  de  Vaudemonte,  or,  as 
it  would  be  expressed  in  English,  Anthony  of 
Vaudemont.  This  uncle,  on  the  death  of  Isa- 
bella's father,  determined  to  seize  the  duchy  for 
himself,  instead  of  allowing  it  to  descend  to  Is- 
abella, the  proper  heir,  who,  being  but  a  wom- 
an, was  looked  upon  with  very  little  respect 
"  Lorraine,"  he  said,  "  was  too  noble  and  valu- 
able a  fief  to  descend  in  the  family  on  the  spin- 
dle side." 

So  he  collected  his  adherents  and  retainers, 
organized  an  army,  and  took  the  field.  Isa- 
bella, on  the  other  hand,  did  all  in  her  power 
U  induce  the  people  of  the  country  to  espouse 
her  cause.  Rene  took  the  command  of  the 
forces  which  were  raised  in  her  behalf,  and 
went  forth  to  meet  Antoine.  Isabella  herself, 
taking  the  children  with  her,  went  to  the  city 


1431.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.  63 

The  battle.  Ren6  wounded  and  made  prisoner. 

of  Nancy* — which  was  then,  as  now,  the  chief 
city  of  Lorraine,  and  was  consequently  the 
safest  place  for  her — intending  to  await  there 
the  result  of  the  conflict.  Little  Margaret  was 
at  this  time  about  two  years  old. 

The  battle  was  fought  at  a  place  called 
Bulgneville,  and  the  fortune  of  war,  as  it 
would  seem,  turned  in  this  case  against  the 
right,  for  Rene's  party  were  entirely  defeated, 
and  he  himself  was  wounded  and  taken  pris- 
oner. He  fought  like  a  lion,  it  is  said,  as  long 
as  he  remained  unharmed;  but  at  last  he  re- 
ceived a  desperate  wound  on  his  brow,  and 
the  blood  from  this  wound  ran  down  into  his 
eyes  and  blinded  him,  so  that  he  could  do  no 
more ;  and  he  was  immediately  seized  by  the 
men  who  had  wounded  him,  and 'made  prison- 
er. The  person  who  thus  wounded  and  cap- 
tured him  was  the  squire  of  a  certain  knight 
who  had  espoused  the  cause  of  Antoine,  named 
the  Count  St.  Pol. 

In  the  mean  time  Isabella  had  remained  at 
Nancy  with  the  children,  in  a  state  of  the  ut- 
most suspense  and  anxiety,  awaiting  the  result 

*  The  position  of  Nancy,  as  well  as  the  situation  of  the 
two  provinces  of  Anjou  and  Lorraine,  which  are  now  depart- 
ments of  France,  may  be  seen  by  referring  to  any  good  map 
of  that  country,  or  to  that  at  the  commencement  of  this  vol- 
ume. 


64  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1431. 

Isabella's  terror  and  distress.      Heavy  tidings.      Sympathy  for  Isabella. 

of  a  conflict  on  which  depended  the  fate  of 
every  thing  that  was  valuable  and  dear  to  her. 
At  length,  at  the  window  of  the  tower  where 
she  was  watching,  with  little  Margaret  in  her 
arms,  for  the  coming  of  a  herald  from  her  has- 
band  to  announce  his  victory,  her  heart  sank 
within  her  to  see,  instead  of  a  messenger  of 
joy  and  triumph,  a  broken  crowd  of  fugitives, 
breathless  and  covered  with  dust  and  blood, 
suddenly  bursting  into  view,  and  showing  too 
plainly  by  their  aspect  of  terror  and  distress 
that  all  was  lost.  Isabella  was  overwhelmed 
with  consternation  at  the  sight.  She  clasped 
little  Margaret  closely  in  her  arms,  exclaiming 
in  tones  of  indescribable  agony,  "  My  husband 
is  killed !  my  husband  is  killed  !" 

Her  distress  and  anguish  were  somewhat 
calmed  by  the  fugitives  assuring  her,  when 
they  arrived,  that  her  husband  was  safe,  though 
he  had  been  wounded  and  taken  prisoner. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  sympathy  felt  for 
Isabella  in  her  distress  by  all  the  people  of 
Nancy.  She  was  very  young  and  very  beau 
tiful.  Her  children,  and  especially  Margaret, 
were  very  beautiful  too,  and  this  greatly  in 
creased  the  compassion  which  the  people  were 
disposed  to  feel  for  her.  Isabella's  mother  wab 
strongly  inclined  to  make  new  efforts  to  raise 


20-5 


1431.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.          67 

Isabella's  interview  with  her  nncle.  Negotiations  for  peace; 

an  army,  in  order  to  meet  and  fight  -Antoing 
again ;  but  Isabella  herself,  who  was  now  more 
concerned  for  the  safety  of  her  husband  than 
for  the  recovery  of  her  dominions,  was  disposed 
to  pursue  a  conciliatory  course.  So  she  sent 
word  to  her  uncle  that  she  wished  to  see  him, 
and  entreated  him  to  grant  her  an  interview. 
Antoine  acceded  to  her  request,  and  at  the  in- 
terview Isabella  begged  her  uncle  to  make 
peace  with  her,  and  to  give  her  back  her  hus- 
band. 

Antoine  said  that  it  was  out  of  his  power  to 
liberate  Bene",  for  he  had  delivered  him  to  the 
custody  of  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  who  had 
been  his  ally  in  the  war,  and  the  duke  had 
conveyed  him  away  to  his  castle  at  Dijon,  and 
shut  him  up  there,  and  that  now  he  would 
probably  not  be  willing  to  give  him  up  with- 
out the  payment  of  a  ransom.  He  said,  how- 
ever, that  he  was  willing  to  make  a  truce  with 
Isabella  for  six  months,  to  give  time  to  see 
what  arrangement  could  be  made. 

This  truce  was  agreed  upon,  and  then,  aft 
length,  after  a  long  negotiation,  terms  of  peace 
were  concluded.  Bene*  was  to  pay  a  large  sum 
to  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  for  his  ransom,  and, 
in  the  mean  time,  while  he  was  procuring  the 
money,  he  was  to  leave  his  two  sons  in  the 


68          MARGARET  OF   AXJOU.     [143L 

Hostages.  Hard  conditions  of  peace. 

duke's  hands  as  hostages,  to  be  held  by  the 
duke  as  security.  In  respect  to  Lorraine,  An- 
toine  insisted,  as  another  of  the  conditions  of 
peace,  that  Isabella's  oldest  daughter,  Yolante, 
then  about  nine  years  old,  should  be  betrothed 
to  his  son  Frederick,  so  as  to  combine,  in  the 
next  generation  at  least,  the  conflicting  claims 
of  the  two  parties  to  the  possession  of  the  ter- 
ritory ;  and,  in  order  to  secure  the  fulfillment 
of  this  condition,  Yolante  was  to  be  delivered 
immediately  to  the  charge  and  custody  of  An- 
toine's  wife,  the  mother  of  her  future  husband. 
Thus  all  of  Isabella's  children  were  taken  away 
from  her  except  Margaret.  And  even  Marga- 
ret, though  left  for  the  present  with  her  moth- 
er, did  not  escape  being  involved  in  the  entan- 
glements of  the  treaty.  Antoine  insisted  that 
she,  too,  should  be  betrothed  to  one  of  his  par- 
tisans; ana,  as  if  to  make  the  case  as  painful 
and  humiliating  to  Rene  and  Isabella  as  possi- 
ble, the  person  chosen  to  be  her  future  husband 
was  the  very  Count  St.  Pol  whose  squire  had 
cut  down  and  captured  Ren6  at  the  battle  of 
Bulgneville. 

These  conditions  were  very  hard,  but  Isabel- 
la consented  to  them,  as  it  was  only  by  so  doing 
that  any  hope  seemed  to  be  opened  before  her 
of  obtaining  the  release  of  her  husband.  And 


1431.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.  69 

Bene  can  not  procure  the  money  for  his  ransom.    His  long  confinement 

even  this  hope,  in  the  end,  proved  delusive. 
Rene'  found  that,  notwithstanding  all  his  efforts, 
he  could  not  obtain  the  money  which  the  duke 
required  for  his  ransom.  Accordingly,  in  order 
to  save  his  boys,  whom  he  had  delivered  to  the 
duke  as  hostages,  he  was  obliged  to  return  to 
Dijon  and  surrender  himself  again  a  prisoner. 
His  parting  with  his  wife  and  children,  before 
going  a  second  time  into  a  confinement  to  which 
they  could  now  see  no  end,  was  heartrending. 
Even  little  Margaret,  who  was  yet  so  very 
young,  joined  from  sympathy  in  the  general 
sorrow,  arid  wept  bitterly  when  her  father  went 
away. 

The  duke  confined  his  captive  in  an  upper 
room  in  a  high  tower  of  the  castle  of  Dijon,  and 
kept  him  imprisoned  there  for  several  years. 
One  of  the  boys  was  kept  with  him,  but  the  oth- 
er was  set  at  liberty.  All  this  time  Margaret  re- 
mained with  her  mother.  She  was  a  very  beau- 
tiful and  a  very  intelligent  child,  and  was  a  great 
favorite  with  all  who  knew  her.  The  interest 
which  was  awakened  by  her  beauty  and  her 
other  personal  attractions  was  greatly  increased 
by  the  general  sympathy  which  was  felt  for  the 
misfortunes  of  her  father,  and  the  loneliness  and 
distress  of  her  mother. 

In  the  mean  time,  Rene,  shut  up  in  the  tower 


70  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1436. 

His  occupations  and  amusements  in  prison.     Origin  of  Rene's  royal  title. 

at  the  castle  of  Dijon,  made  himself  as  content- 
ed as  he  could,  and  employed  his  time  in  various 
peaceful  and  ingenious  occupations.  Though 
he  had  fought  well  in  the  battle  with  Antoine, 
he  was,  in  fact,  not  at  all  of  a  warlike  disposi- 
tion. He  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  poetry, 
and  painting ;  and  he  occupied  his  leisure  dur- 
ing his  confinement  in  executing  beautiful  min- 
iatures and  paintings  upon  glass,  after  the  man- 
ner of  those  times.  Some  of  these  paintings 
remained  in  the  window  of  a  church  in  Dijon, 
where  they  were  placed  soon  after  Rene"  paint- 
ed them,  for  several  hundred  years. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  the  name  by 
which  Margaret's  father  is  commonly  desig- 
nated is  King  Rene.  The  origin  of  this  royal 
title  is  now  to  be  explained.  He  had  an  older 
brother,  who  became  by  inheritance,  with  Joan- 
na his  wife,  king  and  queen  of  the  Two  Sicilies, 
that  is,  of  the  kingdom  consisting  of  the  island 
of  Sicily  and  the  territory  connected  with  Na- 
ples on  the  main  land.  The  brother,  at  the  close 
of  his  life,  designated  Rene  as  his  heir.  This 
happened  in  the  year  1436,  while  Rene  was  still 
in  captivity  in  the  castle  of  Dijon.  He  could, 
of  course,  do  nothing  himself  to  assert  his  claims 
to  this  new  inheritance,  but  Isabella  immediate- 
ly assumed  the  title  of  Queen  of  the  Two  Sici' 


I486.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.          71 

Isabella  and  the  children  at  Tarascon. 

lies  for  herself,  and  began  at  once  to  make  prep- 
aration for  proceeding  to  Italy  and  taking  pos- 
session of  the  kingdom. 

While  maturing  her  plans,  she  took  up  her 
residence  for  a  time  at  the  chateau  of  Tarascon, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Rhone,  with  the  two  chil- 
dren who  remained  under  her  care,  namely,  her 
son  Louis  and  Margaret.  Her  other  son  was 
at  Dijon  with  his  father,  and  the  other  daugh- 
ter, Yolante,  had  been  given  up,  as  has  already 
been  said,  to  the  custody  of  the  wife  of  Antoine, 
with  a  view  of  being  married,  as  soon  as  she 
was  old  enough,  to  Antoine's  son. 

The  children  attracted  great  attention  at  Ta- 
rascon. Their  mother  Isabella  was  by  birth  a 
lady  of  very  high  rank,  her  family  being  inti- 
mately connected  with  the  royal  family  of 
Frarice.  She  was  now,  too,  by  title  at  least, 
herself  a  queen.  The  children  were  very  intel- 
ligent and  beautiful,  and  the  misfortunes  and 
cruel  captivity  of  their  father  and  brother  were 
known  and  talked  of  in  all  the  country  around. 
So  the  peasants  and  their  families  crowded 
around  the  chateau  to  see  the  children.  They 
brought  them  wreaths  of  flowers  and  other  vo- 
tive offerings.  They  sang  songs  to  serenade 
them,  and  they  built  bonfires  around  the  walls 
of  the  chateau  at  night,  to  drive  away  the  infec- 


72  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1436. 

Witches  and  the  plague.  Isabella  goes  into  Italy. 

tion  of  the  plague,  which  was  then  prevailing  in 
some  parts  of  the  country,  and  was  exciting  con- 
siderable alarm. 

The  people  of  the  country  believed  that  this 
plague  was  produced  by  magic  and  witchcraft, 
and  there  were  some  poor  old  women,  who  came 
with  the  other  peasants  to  the  walls  of  the  cha- 
teau of  Tarascon  to  see  the  children,  who  were 
believed  to  be  witches.  Afterward  the  plague 
broke  out  at  Tarascon,  and  Margaret's  mother 
was  obliged  to  go  away,  taking  the  children 
with  her.  The  poor  women  were,  however, 
seized  and  burned  at  the  stake,  it  being  univer- 
sally believed  that  it  was  they  who  had  caused 
the  plague. 

Isabella's  arrangements  were  now  so  far  ma- 
tured that  she  went  at  once  into  Italy  with  the 
children,  and  took  up  her  abode  there  in  the 
town  of  Capua.  Rene  still  remained  in  captiv- 
ity, but  Isabella  caused  him  to  be  proclaimed 
King  of  the  Two  Sicilies  with  great  pomp  and 
parade.  At  the  time  of  this  ceremony,  the  two 
children,  Margaret  and  her  brother,  were  seated 
beside  their  mother  in  a  grand  state  carriage, 
which  was  lined  with  velvet  and  embroidered 
with  gold,  and  in  this  way  they  were  conveyed 
through  the  streets  of  the  city. 

After  a  time  Rene  was  liberated  from  his 


1436.]     MARGARET'S  PARENTS.  73 

Ren6  is  at  last  set  free.  His  temper  and  disposition. 

confinement,  and  restored  to  his  family,  but  he 
did  not  long  enjoy  this  apparent  return  of  pros- 
perity. His  claim  to  the  kingdom  of  Naples 
was  disputed,  and,  after  a  conflict,  he  was  e?  • 
pelled  from  the  country.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
English  had  so  far  extended  their  conquests  in 
France  that  both  his  native  province  of  Anjou, 
and  his  wife's  inheritances  in  Lorraine,  had 
fallen  into  their  hands,  so  that  with  all  the  aris- 
tocratic distinction  of  their  descent,  and  the 
grandeur  of  their  royal  titles,  the  family  were 
now,  as  it  were,  without  house  or  home.  They 
returned  to  France,  and  Isabella,  with  the  chil- 
dren, found  refuge  from  time  to  time  with  one 
and  another  of  the  great  families  to  which  she 
was  related,  while  Rene'  led  a  wandering  life,  be- 
ing reduced  often  to  a  state  of  great  destitution. 
He,  however,  bore  his  misfortunes  with  a  very 
placid  temper,  and  amused  himself,  wherever  he 
was,  with  music,  poetry,  and  painting.  He  was 
so  cheerful  and  good-natured  withal  that  he 
made  himself  a  very  agreeable  companion,  and 
was  generally  welcome,  as  a  visitor,  wherever 
he  went.  He  retained  the  name  of  King  Rend 
as  long  as  he  lived,  though  he  was  a  king  with- 
out a  kingdom.  At  one  time  he  was  reduced, 
it  is  said,  to  such  straits  that  to  warm  himself  ho 
used  to  walk  to  and  fro  in  the  streets  of  Mar- 


74  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1436. 


King  Ren6's  fireside. 


seilles,  on  the  sunny  side  of  the  buildings,  which 
circumstance  gave  rise  to  a  proverb  long  known 
and  often  quoted  in  those  parts,  which  desig- 
nated the  act  of  going  out  into  the  sun  to  escape 
from  the  cold  as  warming  one's  self  at  King 
Renews  fireside. 

Such  was  the  family  from  which  Margaret 
of  Anjou  sprung. 


1444.]         EOYAL  COURTSHIP.  75 

Margaret's  talents  and  accomplishments.  Offers  of  marriaga. 


CHAPTER  V. 
ROYAL  COURTSHIP. 

WHEN  Margaret  was  not  more  than  four- 
teen or  fifteen  years  of  age,  she  began  to 
be  very  celebrated  for  her  beauty  and  accom- 
plishments, and  for  the  charming  vivacity  of 
her  conversation  and  her  demeanor.  She  re- 
sided with  her  mother  in  different  families  in 
Lorraine  and  in  other  parts  of  France,  and  was 
sometimes  at  the  court  of  the  Queen  of  France, 
who  was  her  near  relative.  All  who  knew  her 
were  charmed  with  her.  She  was  considered 
equally  remarkable  for  her  talents  and  for  her 
beauty.  The  arrangement  which  had  been 
made  in  her  childhood  for  marrying  her  to  the 
Count  of  St.  Pol  was  broken  off,  but  several 
other  offers  were  made  to  her  mother  for  her 
hand,  though  none  of  them  was  accepted.  Is- 
abella was  very  proud  of  her  daughter,  and  she 
cherished  very  lofty  aspirations  in  respect  to 
her  future  destiny.  She  was  therefore  not  at 
all  inclined  to  be  in  haste  in  respect  to  making 
arrangements  for  her  marriage. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  feud  between  the  un- 


76  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444. 

State  of  things  in  England.     Henry's  character.     Plans  of  the  courtiers. 

cles  and  relatives  of  King  Henry,  in  England, 
as  related  in  a  preceding  chapter,  had  been  go- 
ing on,  and  was  now  reaching  a  climax.  The 
leaders  of  the  two  rival  parties  were,  as  will  be 
recollected,  Henry  Beaufort,  Bishop  of  Win- 
chester, or  Cardinal  Beaufort,  as  he  was  more 
commonly  called,  who  had  had  the  personal 
charge  of  the  king  during  his  minority,  on  one 
side,  and  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  Henry's  un- 
cle, who  had  been  regent  of  England  during 
the  same  period,  on  the  other.  The  king  him- 
self was  now  about  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
and  if  he  had  been  a  man  of  vigor  and  resolu- 
tion, he  might  perhaps  have  controlled  the  an- 
gry disputants,  and  by  taking  the  government 
fully  into  his  own  hands,  have  forced  them  to 
live  together  in  peace  under  his  paramount  au- 
thority. But  Henry  was  a  very  timid  and  fee- 
ble-minded man.  The  turbulence  and  impetu- 
ousness  of  his  uncles  and  their  partisans  in  their 
quarrel  was  altogether  too  great  for  any  control 
that  he  could  hope  to  exercise  over  them.  In- 
deed, the  great  question  with  them  was  which 
should  contrive  the  means  of  exercising  the 
greatest  control  over  him. 

In  order  to  accomplish  this  end,  both  parties 
began  very  early  to  plan  and  manoeuvre  with  a 
view  of  choosing  the  king  a  wife.  Whichever 


1444.]         KOYAL  COURTSHIP.  77 

Princes  and  kings.         Their  matrimonial  plans.          Embarrassment*. 

of  the  two  great  leaders  should  succeed  in  ne- 
gotiating the  marriage  of  the  king,  they  knew 
well  would,  by  that  very  act,  establish  his  in- 
fluence at  court  in  the  most  absolute  manner. 

Princes  and  kings  in  those  days,  as,  indeed, 
is  the  case  to  a  considerable  extent  now,  had 
some  peculiar  difficulties  to  contend  with  in 
making  their  matrimonial  arrangements,  so  far 
at  least  as  concerned  the  indulgence  of  any  per- 
sonal preferences  which  they  might  themselves 
entertain  on  the  subject.  Indeed,  these  arrange- 
ments were  generally  made  for  them,  while 
they  were  too  young  to  have  any  voice  or  to 
take  any  part  in  the  question,  and  nothing  was 
left  for  them  but  to  ratify  and  carry  into  effect, 
when  they  came  to  years  of  maturity,  what 
their  parents,  or  grand  councils  of  state,  had  de- 
termined for  them  when  they  were  children,  or 
else  to  refuse  to  ratify  and  confirm  it  at  the 
cost  of  incurring  a  vast  amount  of  difficulty 
and  political  entanglement,  and  perhaps  even 
open  and  formidable  war. 

And  even  in  those  cases  where  the  prince  or 
king  arrived  at  an  age  to  judge  for  himself  be* 
fore  any  arrangements  were  made  for  him, 
which  was  the  fact  in  regard  to  Henry  VI.,  he 
was  still  very  much  embarrassed  and  circum- 
scribed in  his  choice  if  he  attempted  to  select  a 


78  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1444. 

Difficulty  of  leaving  the  country.    Miniatures.     Situation  of  King  Henry. 

wife  for  himself.  He  could  not  visit  foreign 
courts  and  see  the  princesses  there,  so  as  to 
judge  for  himself  who  would  best  please  him ; 
for  in  those  days  it  was  very  unsafe  for  person- 
ages of  any  considerable  rank  or  position  to 
visit  foreign  countries  at  all,  except  at  the  head 
of  an  army,  and  in  a  military  campaign.  In 
the  case,  too,  of  any  actually  reigning  monarch, 
there  was  a  special  difficulty  in  the  way  of  his 
leaving  his  kingdom,  on  account  of  the  feuds 
and  quarrels  which  always  in  such  cases  arose 
in  making  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the 
government  of  the  kingdom  during  his  absence. 
For  these  and  various  other  causes,  a  king  or 
a  prince  desiring  to  choose  a  wife  was  obliged 
to  content  himself  with  such  information  relat- 
ing to  the  several  candidates  as  he  could  ob- 
tain from  hearsay  in  respect  to  their  characters, 
and  from  miniatures  and  portraits  in  respect  to 
their  personal  attractions.  This  was  especially 
the  case  with  King  Henry  VI.  Each  of  the 
two  great  parties,  that  of  Cardinal  Beaufort  on 
one  hand,  and  that  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester 
on  the  other,  were  desirous  of  being  the  means 
of  finding  a  bride  for  the  king,  and  both  were 
eagerly  looking  in  all  directions,  and  plotting 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  end,  and  any  at- 
tempt of  the  king  to  leave  the  kingdom  for  any 


1444.]         ROYAL  COURTSHIP.  79 

Plan  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester.  The  three  princesses  of  Armagnac. 

purpose  whatever  would  undoubtedly  have 
brought  these  parties  at  once  to  open  war. 

The  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  those  who  act- 
ed with  him  fixed  their  eyes  upon  three  prin- 
cesses of  a  certain  great  family,  called  the  house 
of  Armagnac.  Their  plan  was  to  open  nego- 
tiations with  this  house,  and  to  obtain  portraits 
of  the  three  princesses,  to  be  sent  to  England, 
in  order  that  Henry  might  take  his  choice  of 
them.  Commissioners  were  appointed  to  man- 
age the  business.  They  were  to  open  the  ne- 
gotiations and  obtain  the  portraits.  The  car- 
dinal, of  course,  and  his  friends  were  greatly 
interested  in  preventing  the  success  of  this 
plan,  though,  of  course,  it  was  necessary  for 
them  to  be  discreet  and  cautious  in  manifest- 
ing any  open  opposition  to  it  in  the  then  pres- 
ent stage  of  the  affair. 

The  king  was  very  particular  in  the  instruc- 
tions which  he  gave  to  the  commissioners  in 
respect  to  the  portraits,  with  a  view  of  secur- 
ing, if  possible,  perfectly  correct  and  fair  repre- 
sentations of  the  originals.  He  wished  that  the 
princesses  should  not  be  flattered  at  all  by  the 
artist  in  his  delineation  of  them,  and  that  they 
should  not  be  dressed  at  their  sittings  in  any 
unusually  elegant  manner.  On  the  contrary, 
'ihey  were  to  be  painted  "  in  their  kirtles  sim- 


60  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1444. 

Their  portraits.  The  plan  fails.  In  what  way. 

pie,  and  their  visages  like  as  ye  see,  and  their 
stature,  and  their  beauty,  and  the  color  of  their 
skin,  and  their  countenances,  just  as  they  real- 
ly are."  The  artist  was  instructed,  too,  by  the 
commissioners  to  be  expeditious  in  finishing 
the  pictures  and  sending  them  to  England,  in 
order  that  the  king  might  see  them  as  soon  as 
possible,  and  make  his  choice  between  the  three 
young  ladies  whose  "  images"  were  to  be  thus 
laid  before  him. 

This  plan  for  giving  the  king  an  opportuni- 
ty to  choose  between  the  three  princesses  of 
Armagnac,  nicely  arranged  as  it  was  in  all  its 
details,  failed  of  being  carried  successfully  into 
effect;  for  the  father  of  these  princesses,  as  it 
happened,  was  at  this  same  time  engaged  in 
some  negotiations  with  the  King  of  France  in 
respect  to  the  marriage  of  his  daughters,  and 
he  wished  to  keep  the  negotiations  with  Henry 
in  suspense  until  he  had  ascertained  whether 
he  could  or  could  not  do  better  in  that  quarter. 
So  he  contrived  means  to  interrupt  and  retard 
the  work  of  the  artist,  in  order  to  delay  for  a 
time  the  finishing  of  the  pictures. 

In  the  mean  time,  while  the  Duke  of  Glou- 
cester and  his  party  were  thus  engaged  in  for- 
warding their  scheme  of  inducing  Henry  to 
make  choice  of  one  of  these  three  princesses  for 


1444.]        EOYAL  COURTSHIP.  81 

Die  cardinal's  schema        Champchevrier.        Champchevrier  at  court. 

his  wife,  the  cardinal  himself  was  not  idle.  He 
had  heard  of  the  beautiful  and  accomplished 
Margaret  of  Anjou,  and.  after  full  inquiry  and 
reflection,  he  determined  in  his  own  rnind  to 
make  her  his  candidate  for  the  honor  of  being 
Queen  of  England.  The  manner  in  which  he 
contrived  to  introduce  the  subject  first  to  the 
notice  of  the  king  was  this. 

There  was  a  certain  man,  named  Champ- 
chevrier, who  had  been  taken  prisoner  in  An- 
jou in  the  course  of  the  wars  between  France 
and  England,  and  who  was  now  held  for  ran- 
som by  the  knight  who  had  captured  him.  He 
was  not,  however,  kept  in  close  confinement, 
but  was  allowed  to  go  at  large  in  England  on 
his  parole — that  is,  on  his  word  of  honor  that 
he  would  not  make  his  escape  and  go  back  to 
his  native  land  until  his  ransom  was  paid. 

Now  this  Champchevrier,  though  a  prisoner, 
was  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  education ;  and 
while  he  remained  in  England,  held  by  his  pa- 
role, was  admitted  to  the  best  society  there, 
and  he  often  appeared  at  court,  and  frequently 
held  converse  with  the  king.  In  one  of  these 
interviews  he  described,  in  very  glowing  terms, 
the  beauty  and  remarkable  intelligence  of  Mar- 
garet of  Anjou.  It  is  supposed  that  he  was 
induced  to  this  by  Cardinal  Beaufort,  who  knew 

20—6 


82          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444 

Hia  conversations  with  the  king.  The  king  wishes  for  a  picture. 

of  his  acquaintance  with  Margaret,  and  who 
contrived  the  interviews  between  Champchev- 
rier  and  the  king,  in  order  to  give  the  former 
'an  opportunity  to  speak  of  the  lady  to  his  maj- 
esty incidentally,  as  it  were,  and  in  a  way  not 
to  excite  the  king's  suspicions  that  the  com- 
mendations of  her  which  he  heard  were  prompt- 
ed by  any  match-making  schemes  formed  for 
him  by  his  courtiers. 

If  this  was  the  secret  plan  of  the  cardinal,  it 
succeeded  admirably  well.  The  king's  curios 
ity  was  strongly  awakened  by  the  piquant  ac- 
counts that  Champchevrier  gave  him  of  the 
brilliancy  of  young  Margaret's  beauty,  and  of 
her  charming  vivacity  and  wit. 

"  I  should  like  very  much  to  see  a  picture 
of  the  young  lady,"  said  the  king. 

"I  can  easily  obtain  a  picture  of  her  for 
your  majesty,"  replied  Champchevrier, "  if  your 
majesty  will  commission  me  to  go  to  Lorraine 
for  the  purpose." 

Champchevrier  considered  that  a  commission 
from  the  king  to  go  to  Lorraine  on  business 
for  his  majesty  would  be  a  sufficient  release  for 
him  from  the  obligations  of  his  parole. 

The  king  finally  gave  Champchevrier  the  re- 
quired authority  to  leave  the  kingdom.  Champ 
ohevrier  was  not  satisfied  with  a  verbal  permis- 


1444.J         ROYAL  COURTSHIP.  83 

Chaznpchevrier's  expedition.  The  Earl  of  Suffolk. 

sion  merely,  but  required  the  king  to  give  him 
a  regular  safe-conduct,  drawn  up  in  due  form, 
and  signed  by  the  king's  name.  Having  re- 
ceived this  document,  Champchevrier  left  Lon- 
don and  set  out  upon  his  journey,  the  nature 
and  object  of  the  expedition  being  of  course 
kept  a  profound  secret. 

A  certain  nobleman,  however,  named  the 
Earl  of  Suffolk,  was  admitted  to  the  confidence 
of  the  king  in  this  affair,  and  was  by  him  asso- 
ciated with  Champchevrier  in  the  arrangements 
which  were  to  be  made  for  carrying  the  plan 
into  execution.  It  would  seem  that  he  accom- 
panied Champchevrier  in  his  journey  to  Lor- 
raine, where  Margaret  was  then  residing  with 
her  mother,  and  there  assisted  him  in  making 
arrangements  for  the  painting  of  the  picture. 
They  employed  one  of  the  first  artists  in  France 
for  this  purpose.  When  the  work  was  finish- 
ed, Champchevrier  set  out  with  it  on  his  return 
to  England. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  English  knight  whose 
prisoner  Champchevrier  was,  heard  in  some  way 
that  his  captive  had  left  England,  and  had  re- 
turned to  France,  and  the  intelligence  made  him 
exceedingly  angry.  He  thought  that  Champ- 
chevrier had  broken  his  parole  and  had  gone 
home  without  paying  his  ransom.  Such  an 


84  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444. 

Champchevrier  in  danger.          Gloucester  writes  to  the  King  of  Franca. 

act  as  this  was  regarded  as  extremely  dishon- 
orable in  those  days,  and  it  was,  moreover,  not 
only  considered  dishonorable  in  a  prisoner 
himself  to  break  his  parole,  but  also  in  any 
one  else  to  aid  or  abet  him  in  so  doing,  or  to 
harbor  or  protect  him  after  his  escape.  The 
knight  determined,  therefore,  that  he  would  at 
once  communicate  with  the  King  of  France  on 
the  subject,  explaining  the  circumstances,  and 
asking  him  to  rearrest  the  supposed  fugitive 
and  send  him  back. 

So  he  went  to  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and, 
stating  the  case  to  him,  asked  his  grace  to 
write  to  the  King  of  France,  informing  him 
that  Champchevrier  had  escaped  from  his  pa- 
role, and  asking  him  not  to  give  him  refuge, 
but  to  seize  and  send  him  back.  Gloucester 
was  very  willing  to  do  this.  It  is  probable 
that  he  knew  that  Champchevrier  was  a  friend 
of  the  cardinal's,  or  at  least  that  he  was  attached 
to  his  interests,  and  that  it  was  altogether  prob- 
able that  his  going  into  France  was  connected 
with  some  plot  or  scheme  by  which  the  cardi- 
nal and  his  party  were  to  derive  some  advant- 
age. So  he  wrote  the  letter,  and  it  was  at 
once  sent  to  the  King  of  France.  The  King 
of  France  at  this  time  was  Charles  VII. 

The  king,  on  receiving  the  letter,  ^ave  or- 


1444.]         EOYAL   COURTSHIP.  85 

I'hampchevrier  arrested.  The  whole  story  comes  out. 

ders  immediately  that  Champchevrier  should 
be  arrested.  By  this  time,  however,  the  paint- 
ing was  finished,  and  Champchevrier  was  on 
the  way  with  it  from  Lorraine  toward  En- 
gland. He  was  intercepted  on  his  journey, 
taken  to  Vincennes,  and  there  brought  before 
King  Charles,  and  called  upon  to  give  an  ac- 
count of  himself. 

Of  course  he  was  now  obliged  to  tell  the 
whole  story.  He  said  that  he  had  not  broken 
his  parole  at  all,  nor  intended  in  any  manner 
to  defraud  his  captor  in  England  of  the  ransom 
money  that  was  due  to  him,  but  had  come  to 
France  by  the  orders  of  the  King  of  England. 
He  explained,  too,  what  he  had  come  for,  and 
showed  Charles  the  painting  which  he  was 
carrying  back  to  the  king.  He  also,  in  proof 
of  the  truth  of  what  he  said,  produced  the  safe- 
conduct  which  King  Henry  had  given  him. 

King  Charles  laughed  very  heartily  at  hear- 
ing this  explanation,  and  at  perceiving  how 
neatly  he  had  discovered  the  secret  of  King 
Henry's  love  affairs.  He  was  much  pleased, 
too,  with  the  idea  of  King  Henry's  taking  a 
fancy  to  a  lady  so  nearly  related  to  the  royal 
family  of  France.  He  thought  that  he  might 
make  the  negotiation  of  such  a  marriage  the 
occasion  for  making  peace  with  England  on 


66  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1444. 


Trouble  In  court. 


favorable  terms.  So  he  dismissed  Champchev- 
rier  at  once,  and  recommended  to  him  to  pro- 
ceed to  England  as  soon  as  possible,  and  there 
to  do  all  in  his  power  to  induce  King  Henrj 
to  choose  Margaret  for  his  queen. 

Champchevrier  accordingly  returned  to  En- 
gland and  reported  the  result  of  his  mission. 
The  king  was  very  much  pleased  with  the 
painting,  and  he  immediately  determined  to 
send  Champchevrier  again  to  Lorraine  on  a 
secret  mission  to  Margaret's  mother.  He  first, 
however,  determined  to  release  Champchevrier 
entirely  from  his  parole,  and  so  he  paid  the 
ransom  himself  for  which  he  had  been  held. 
The  Duke  of  Gloucester  watched  all  -these  pro- 
ceedings with  a  very  jealous  eye.  When  he 
found  that  Champchevrier,  on  his  return  to 
England,  came  at  once  to  the  king's  court,  and 
that  there  he  held  frequent  conferences,  which 
were  full  of  mystery,  with  the  king  and  with 
the  cardinal,  and  when,  moreover,  he  learned 
that  the  king  had  paid  the  ransom  morey  due 
to  the  knight,  and  that  Champchevriei  was  to 
be  sent  away  again,  he  at  once  suspected  what 
was  going  on,  and  the  whole  court  war  soon 
in  a  great  ferment  of  excitement  in  respect  to 
the  proposed  marriage  of  the  king  to  Marga- 
ret of  Anjou. 


1444.J         ROYAL  COURTSHIP.  87 

Gloucester's  opposition.          Margaret  gains  the  day.          Truce  proposed 

The  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  his  party  were, 
of  course,  strongly  opposed  to  Margaret  of  An- 
jou ;  for  they  knew  well  that,  as  she  had  been 
brought  to  the  king's  notice  by  the  other  par- 
ty, her  becoming  Queen  of  England  would  well- 
nigh  destroy  their  hopes  and  expectations  for 
all  time  to  come.  The  other  party  acted  as  de- 
cidedly and  vigorously  in  favor  of  the  marriage. 
There  followed  a  long  contest,  in  which  there 
was  plotting  and  counterplotting  on  one  side 
and  on  the  other,  and  manoeuvres  without  end. 
At  last  the  friends  of  the  beautiful  little  Mar- 
garet carried  the  day;  and  in  the  year  1444 
commissioners  were  formally  appointed  by  the 
governments  of  England  and  France  to  meet 
at  the  city  of  Tours  at  a  specified  day,  to  nego- 
tiate a  truce  between  the  two  countries  prepar- 
atory to  a  permanent  peace,  the  basis  and  ce- 
ment of  which  was  to  be  the  marriage  of  King 
Henry  with  Margaret  of  Anjou.  The  truce 
was  made  for  two  years,  so  as  to  allow  full  time 
to  arrange  all  the  details  both  for  a  peace  be- 
tween the  two  countries,  and  also  in  respect  to 
the  terms  and  conditions  of  the  marriage. 

As  soon  as  the  news  that  this  truce  was  made 
arrived  in  England,  it  produced  great  excite- 
ment. The  Duke  of  Gloucester  and  those  who 
were,  with  him,  interested  to  prevent  the  ac- 


88  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444. 

Opposition  in  England.  Violent  discussions. 

complishment  of  the  marriage,  formed  a  pow- 
erful political  party  to  oppose  it.  They  did 
not,  however,  openly  object  to  the  marriage  it- 
self, thinking  that  not  politic,  but  directed  their 
hostility  chiefly  against  the  plan  of  making 
peace  with  France  just  at  the  time,  they  said, 
when  the  glory  of  the  English  arms  and  the 
progress  of  the  English  power  in  that  country 
were  at  their  height.  It  was  very  discredita- 
ble to  the  advisers  of  the  king,  they  said,  that 
they  should  counsel  him  to  stop  short  in  the 
career  of  conquest  which  his  armies  were  pur- 
suing, and  thus  sacrifice  the  grand  advantages 
for  the  realm  of  England  which  were  just  with- 
in reach. 

The  discussions  and  dissensions  which  arose 
in  the  court  and  in  Parliament  on  this  subject 
were  very  violent;  but  in  the  end  Cardinal 
Beaufort  and  his  party  were  successful,  and  the 
king  appointed  the  Earl  of  Suffolk  embassador 
extraordinary  to  the  court  of  France  to  nego- 
tiate the  terms  and  conditions  of  the  permanent 
peace  which  was  to  be  made  between  the  two 
countries,  and  also  of  the  marriage  of  the  king. 
At  first  Suffolk  was  very  unwilling  to  under- 
take this  embassy.  He  feared  that,  in  order 
to  carry  out  the  king's  wishes,  he  should  be 
obliged  to  make  such  important  concessions  to 


1444.]        EOYAL   COURTSHIP.  89 

Suffolk  is  alarmed.  His  safe-conduct. 

France  that,  at  some  future  time,  when  perhaps 
the  party  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  should 
come  into  power,  he  might  be  held  responsible 
for  the  measure,  and  be  tried  and  condemned, 
perhaps,  for  high  treason,  in  having  been  the 
means  of  sacrificing  the  interests  and  honor  of 
the  kingdom  by  advising  and  negotiating  a  dis- 
honorable peace.  These  fears  of  his  were  prob- 
ably increased  by  the  intensity  of  the  excite- 
ment which  he  perceived  in  the  Gloucester 
party,  and  perhaps,  also,  by  open  threats  and 
demonstrations  which  they  may  have  uttered 
for  the  express  purpose  of  intimidating  him. 

At  any  rate,  after  receiving  the  appointment, 
his  courage  failed  him,  and  he  begged  the  king 
to  excuse  him  from  performing  so  dangerous  a 
commission.  The  king  was,  however,  very  un- 
willing to  do  so.  Finally,  it  was  agreed  that 
the  king  should  give  the  earl  his  written  order, 
executed  in  due  and  solemn  form,  and  signed 
with  the  great  seal,  commanding  him,  on  the 
royal  authority,  to  undertake  the  embassage. 
Suffolk  relied  on  this  document  as  his  means 
of  defense  from  all  legal  responsibility  for  his 
action  in  case  his  enemies  should  at  any  future 
time  have  it  in  their  power  to  bring  him  to  trial 
for  it. 

In  negotiating  the  peace,  and  in  arranging 


90  MARGARET  OF  AXJOU.     [1444. 


in  •  i^rri   -I::*-  i^ I  .  r:<r--:i-.:.r. 


the  terms  and  conditions  of  the  marriage,  a 
great  many  difficulties  were  found  to  be  in  the 
way,  but  they  were  all  at  last  overcome.  One 
of  these  difficulties  was  made  by  King  Rene, 
the  father  of  Margaret  He  declared  that  he 
could  not  consent  to  give  his  daughter  in  mar- 
riage to  the  King  of  England  unless  the  king 
would  first  restore  to  him  and  to  his  family  the 
province  of  Anjou,  which  had  been  the  posses- 
sion of  his  ancestors,  but  which  King  Henry's 
armies  had  overrun  and  conquered.  The  Earl 
of  Suffolk  was  very  unwilling  to  cede  back  this 
territory,  for  he  knew  very  well  that  nothing 
would  be  so  unpopular  in  England,  or  so  like- 
ly to  increase  the  hostility  of  the  English  peo- 
ple to  the  proposed  marriage,  and  consequently 
to  give  new  life  and  vigor  to  the  Gloucester 
party  in  their  opposition  to  it,  as  the  giving  up 
again  of  territory  which  the  English  troops  had 
won  by  so  many  hard-fought  battles  and  the 
sacrifice  of  so  many  lives.  But  Rene  was  in- 
flexible, and  Suffolk  finally  yielded,  and  so  An- 
jou was  restored  to  its  former  possessors. 

Another  objection  which  Rene  made  was 
that  his  fortune  was  not  sufficient  to  enable  him 
to  endow  his  daughter  properly  for  so  splendid 
a  marriage ;  not  having  the  means,  he  said,  of 
sending  her  in  a  suitable  manner  into  England. 


1444.]        KOYAL  COURTSHIP.  91 

The  king  asks  no  dowry.       The  king  has  a  rival.      Margaret's  wishes. 

But  this  the  King  of  England  said  should 

o  w 

make  no  difference.  All  that  he  asked  was 
the  hand  of  the  princess  without  any  dowry. 
Her  personal  charms  and  mental  endowments 
were  sufficient  to  outweigh  all  the  riches  in  the 
world ;  and  if  her  royal  father  and  mother  would 
grant  her  to  King  Henry  as  his  bride,  he  would 
not  ask  to  receive  with  her  "  either  penny  or 
farthing." 

King  Henry  was  made  all  the  more  eager  10 
close  the  negotiations  for  the  marriage  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  to  consent  to  almost  any  terms 
which  the  King  of  France  and  Rene  might  ex- 
act, from  the  fact  that  there  was  a  young  prince 
of  the  house  of  Burgundy — a  very  brave,  hand- 
some, and  accomplished  man — who  was  also  a 
suitor  for  Margaret's  hand,  and  was  very  de- 
votedly attached  to  her.  This  young  prince 
was  in  France  at  this  time,  and  ready,  at  any 
moment,  to  take  advantage  of  any  difficulty 
which  might  arise  in  the  negotiations  with 
Henry  to  press  his  claims,  and,  perhaps,  to  car- 
ry off  the  prize.  Which  of  the  two  candidates 
Margaret  herself  would  have  preferred  there  is 
no  means  of  knowing.  She  was  yet  only  about 
fifteen  years  of  age,  and  was  completely  in  the 
power  and  at  the  disposal  of  her  father  and 
mother.  And  then  the  political  and  family  in- 


92  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1444. 


The  affair  finally  settled. 


terests  which,  were  at  stake  in  the  decision  of 
the  question  were  too  vast  to  allow  of  the  per- 
sonal preferences  of  the  young  girl  herself  be- 
ing taken  much  into  the  account. 

At  last  every  thing  was  arranged,  and  Suf- 
folk returned  to  England,  bringing  with  him 
the  treaty  of  peace  and  the  contract  of  mar- 
riage, to  be  ratified  by  the  king's  council  and 
by  Parliament.  A  new  contest  now  ensued  be- 
tween the  Gloucester  and  Beaufort  parties.  The 
king,  of  course,  threw  all  his  influence  on  the 
cardinal's  side,  and  so  the  treaty  and  the  con- 
tract carried  the  day.  Both  were  ratified.  The 
Earl  of  Suffolk,  as  a  reward  for  his  services, 
was  made  a  marquis,  and  he  was  appointed  the 
king's  proxy  to  proceed  to  France  and  espouse 
the  bride  in  the  king's  name,  according  to  the 
usual  custom  in  the  case  of  royal  marriages. 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  93 

Preparations  for  the  wedding.  Excitement. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  WEDDING. 

PREPARATIONS  were  now  immediately 
made  for  solemnizing  the  marriage  and 
bringing  the  young  queen  at  once  to  England. 
The  marriage  ceremony  by  which  a  foreign 
princess  was  united  to  a  reigning  prince,  ac- 
cording to  the  custom  of  those  times,  was  two- 
fold, or,  rather,  there  were  two  distinct  cere- 
monies to  be  performed,  in  one  of  which  the 
bride,  at  her  father's  own  court,  was  united  to 
her  future  husband  by  proxy,  and  in  the  sec- 
ond the  nuptials  were  celebrated  anew  with 
her  husband  himself  in  person,  after  her  ar- 
rival in  his  kingdom.  Suffolk,  as  was  stated 
in  the  last  chapter,  was  appointed  to  act  as  the 
king's  proxy  in  this  case,  for  the  performance 
of  the  first  of  these  ceremonies.  He  was  to 
proceed  to  France,  espouse  the  bride  in  the 
king's  name,  and  convey  her  to  England.  Of 
course  a  universal  excitement  now  spread  it- 
self among  all  the  nobility  and  among  all  the 
ladies  of  the  court,  which  was  awakened  by  the 
interest  which  all  took  in  the  approaching  wed- 


94  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1444. 

Dresses.  Company.  King  and  Queen  of  Franc*. 

ding,  and  the  desire  they  felt  to  accompany  the 
expedition. 

A  great  many  of  the  lords  and  ladies  began 
to  make  preparations  to  join  Lord  and  Lady 
Suffolk.  Nothing  was  talked  of  but  dresses, 
equipments,  presents,  invitations,  and  every 
body  was  occupied  in  the  collecting  and  pack- 
ing of  stores  and  baggage  for  a  long  journey. 
At  length  the  appointed  time  arrived,  and  the 
expedition  set  out,  and,  after  a  journey  of  many 
days,  the  several  parties  which  composed  it  ar- 
rived at  Nancy,  the  capital  city  of  Lorraine, 
where  the  ceremony  was  to  be  performed. 

At  about  the  same  time,  the  King  and  Queen 
of  France,  accompanied  by  a  great  concourse 
of  nobles  and  gentlemen  from  the  French  court, 
who  were  to  honor  the  wedding  with  their 
presence,  arrived.  A  great  many  other  knights 
and  ladies,  too,  from  the  provinces  and  castles 
of  the  surrounding  country,  were  seen  coming 
in  gay  and  splendid  cavalcades  to  the  town, 
when  the  appointed  day  drew  nigh,  eager  to 
witness  the  ceremony,  and  to  join  in  the  mag- 
nificent festivities  which  they  well  knew  would 
be  arranged  to  commemorate  and  honor  the  oc- 
casion. In  a  word,  the  whole  town  became  one 
brilliant  scene  of  gayety,  life,  and  excitement. 

The  marriage  ceremony  was  performed  in 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  95 

The  marriage  ceremony  is  performed.  The  bride's  household. 

the  church,  with  great  pomp  and  parade,  and  in 
the  midst  of  a  vast  concourse  of  people,  com- 
posed of  the  highest  nobility  of  Europe,  both 
lords  and  ladies,  and  all  dressed  in  the  most 
magnificent  and  distinguished  costumes.  No 
spectacle  could  possibly  be  more  splendid  and 
gay.  At  the  close  of  the  ceremony,  the  bride 
was  placed  solemnly  in  charge  of  Lady  Suffolk, 
who  was  to  be  responsible  for  her  safety  and 
welfare  until  she  should  arrive  in  England,  and 
there  be  delivered  into  the  hands  of  her  hus- 
band. Lady  Suffolk  was  a  cousin  of  Cardinal 
Beaufort,  and  she  undoubtedly  received  this 
very  exalted  appointment  through  his  favor. 
The  appointment  brought  with  it  a  great  deal 
of  patronage  and  influence,  for  a  regular  and 
extended  household  was  now  to  be  organized 
for  the  service  of  the  new  queen,  and  of  course, 
among  all  the  lords  and  ladies  who  had  come 
from  England,  there  was  a  very  eager  competi- 
tion to  obtain  places  in  it.  There  are  enumer- 
ated among  those  who  were  appointed  to  posts 
of  service  or  honor  in  attendance  on  the  queen, 
under  the  Marchioness  of  Suffolk,  five  barons 
and  baronesses,  seventeen  knights,  sixty-five 
squires,  and  no  less  than  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-four valets,  besides  many  other  servitors, 
all  under  pay.  Then,  in  addition  to  these,  so 


96  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444. 

The  express.  Tournament 

great  was  the  eagerness  to  occupy  some  recog- 
nized station  in  the  train  of  the  bride,  that  great 
numbers  applied  for  appointments  to  nominal 
offices  for  which  they  were  to  receive  no  pay. 

If  Rene,  Margaret's  father,  had  been  possess- 
ed of  a  fortune  corresponding  to  his  rank,  the 
expense  of  all  these  arrangements,  at  least  up  to 
the  time  of  the  departure  of  the  bridal  party, 
would  have  been  defrayed  by  him ;  but  as  it 
was,  every  thing  was  paid  for  by  King  Henry, 
and  the  precise  amount  of  every  expenditure 
stands  recorded  in  certain  old  books  of  accounts 
which  still  remain  among  the  ancient  English 
archives. 

The  nuptials  of  the  princess  were  celebrated 
by  a  tournament  and  other  accompanying  fes- 
tivities, which  were  continued  for  eight  days. 
In  these  tournaments  a  great  many  mock  com- 
bats were  fought,  in  which  the  most  exalted 
personages  present  on  the  occasion  took  con- 
spicuous and  prominent  parts.  The  King  of 
France  himself  appeared  in  the  lists,  and  fought 
with  Rene,  the  father  of  the  bride.  The  king 
was  beaten.  It  would  have  been  impolite,  for 
any  one  to  have  vanquished  the  father  of  the 
bride  at  a  tournament  held  in  honor  of  the 
daughter's  nuptials.  The  Count  St.  Pol,  too, 
who  had  formerlv  been  betrothed  to  Margaret, 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  97 

The  victors  in  the  games.  Romantic  incident. 

but  had  not  been  allowed  to  marry  her,  fought 
very  successfully,  and  won  a  valuable  prize, 
which  was  conferred  upon  him  with  great  cer- 
emony by  the  hands  of  the  two  most  distin- 
guished ladies  present,  namely,  the  Queen  of 
France  and  Isabella  of  Lorraine,  the  bride's 
mother.  Perhaps  he  too  was  politely  allowed 
to  win  his  victory  and  his  honorary  prize,  in 
consideration  of  his  submitting  so  quietly  to 
the  loss  of  the  real  prize  which  his  great  com- 
petitor, the  King  of  England,  was  so  triumph- 
antly bearing  away  from  him. 

The  celebrations  of  the  eight  days  were  in- 
terrupted and  enlivened  by  one  remarkable 
incident,  which  for  a  time  threatened  to  pro- 
duce very  serious  difficulty.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  when  the  original  contract  and 
treaty  were  made  between  Rene  and  the  uncle 
of  Isabella,  Antoine  of  Vaudemonte,  at  the 
time  when  peace  was  re-established  between 
them,  after  the  battle  in  which  Rene  was  taken 
prisoner,  that  not  only  was  it  agreed  that  Mar- 
garet should  be  betrothed  to  the  Count  St.  Pol, 
but  also  that  Yolante,  Margaret's  elder  sister, 
was  betrothed  to  Antoine's  son  Ferry,  as  he 
was  called.*  Now  Ferry  seemed  not  disposed 
to  submit  quietly,  as  St.  Pol  had  done,  to  the 

*  The  name  was  a  contraction  of  Frederick. 
20—7 


98  MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444 

Grand  elopement.  The  parents  finally  appeased. 

loss  of  his  bride,  and  as  he  had  never  thus  far 
been  able  to  induce  Rene  and  Isabella  to  fulfill 
their  agreement  by  consenting  to  the  consum- 
mation of  the  marriage,  he  determined  now  to 
take  the  matter  into  his  own  hands.  So  he 
formed  the  scheme  of  an  elopement.  His  plan 
was  to  take  advantage  of  the  excitement  and 
confusion  attendant  on  the  tournament  for  car- 
rying off  his  bride.  He  organized  a  band  of 
adventurous  young  knights  who  were  willing 
to  aid  him  in  his  enterprise,  and,  laying  his 
plans  secretly  and  carefully,  he,  assisted  by  his 
comrades,  seized  the  young  lady  and  galloped 
away  with  her  to  a  place  of  safety,  intending 
to  keep  her  there  in  his  own  custody  until 
King  Rene  and  her  mother  should  consent  to 
her  immediate  marriage.  King  Ren£,  when  he 
first  heard  of  his  daughter's  abduction,  was 
very  angry,  and  declared  that  he  would  never 
forgive  either  Ferry  or  Yolante.  But  the  King 
and  Queen  of  France  interceded  for  the  lovers, 
and  Rene  at  last  relented.  Ferry  and  Yolante 
were  married,  and  all  parties  were  made  friends 
again,  after  which  the  celebrations  and  festivi- 
ties were  renewed  with  greater  spirit  and  ardor 
than  before. 

At  length  the  time  for  the  conclusion  of  the 
public  rejoicings  at  Nancy,  and  for  the  com- 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  99 

Margaret  takes  leave  of  her  friends.  Setting  out  of  the  procession. 

mencement  of  Margaret's  journey  to  England, 
arrived.  Thus  far,  though  nominally  under 
the  care  and  keeping  of  Lord  and  Lady  Suf- 
folk, Margaret  had  of  course  been  really  most 
intimately  associated  with  her  own  family  and 
friends ;  but  now  the  time  had  come  when  she 
was  to  take  a  final  leave  of  her  father  and 
mother,  and  of  all  whom  she  had  known  and 
loved  from  infancy,  and  be  put  really  and  fully 
into  the  trust  and  keeping  of  strangers,  to  be 
taken  by  them  to  a  distant  and  foreign  land. 
The  parting  was  very  painful.  It  seems  that 
Margaret's  beauty  and  the  charming  vivacity 
of  her  manners  had  made  her  universally  be- 
loved, and  the  hearts  not  only  of  her  father 
and  mother,  but  of  the  whole  circle  of  those 
who  had  known  her,  were  filled  with  grief  at 
the  thought  of  parting  with  her  forever. 

The  King  and  Queen  of  France,  who  seem 
to  have  loved  their  niece  with  sincere  affection, 
determined  to  accompany  her  for  a  short  dis- 
tance, as  she  set  out  on  her  journey  from  Nan- 
cy. Of  course,  many  of  the  courtiers  went  too. 
These,  together  with  the  great  number  of  En- 
glish nobles  and  gentry  that  were  attached  to 
the  service  of  the  bride,  made  so  large  a  com- 
pany, and  the  dresses,  caparisons,  and  trap- 
pings which  were  exhibited  on  the  occasion 


100         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444. 

Parting  with  the  King  and  Queen  of  France.  Margaret's  parents. 

were  so  splendid  and  fine,  that  the  cavalcade, 
as  it  set  out  from  the  city  of  Nancy  on  the 
morning  when  the  journey  was  to  commence, 
formed  one  of  the  gayest  and  grandest  bridal 
processions  that  the  world  has  ever  seen. 

After  proceeding  for  five  or  six  miles  the 
procession  came  to  a  halt,  in  order  that  the 
King  and  Queen  of  France  might  take  their 
leave.  The  parting  filled  the  hearts  of  their 
majesties  with  grief.  The  king  clasped  Marga- 
ret again  and  again  in  his  arms  when  he  bade 
her  farewell,  and  told  her  that  in  placing  her, 
as  he  had  done,  upon  one  of  the  greatest  thrones 
in  Europe,  it  seemed  to  him,  after  all,  that  he 
had  really  done  nothing  for  her,  "for  even  such 
a  throne  is  scarcely  worthy  of  you,  my  darling 
child,"  said  he.  In  saying  this  his  eyes  filled 
with  tears.  The  queen  was  so  overwhelmed 
with  emotion  that  she  could  not  speak;  but, 
kissing  Margaret  again  and  again  amid  her  sob- 
bings and  tears,  she  finally  turned  from  her  and 
was  borne  away. 

Margaret's  father  and  mother  did  not  take 
their  leave  of  her  at  this  place,  but  went  on 
with  her  two  days'  journey,  as  far  as  to  the 
town  of  Bar  le  Due,  which  was  near  the  fron- 
tiers of  Lorraine.  Here  they,  too,  at  last  took 
their  leave,  though  their  hearts  were  so  full, 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  101 

The  bride's  new  friends.  The  vessel. 

when  the  moment  of  final  parting  came,  that 
they  could  not  speak,  but  bade  their  child  fare- 
well with  tears  and  caresses,  unaccompanied 
with  any  words  whatever  of  farewell. 

Still  Margaret  was  not  left  entirely  alone 
among  strangers  when  her  father  and  mother 
left  her.  One  of  her  brothers,  and  some  other 
friends,  were  to  accompany  her  to  England. 
She  had,  moreover,  by  this  time  become  well 
acquainted  with  the  Marquis  and  Marchioness 
of  Suffolk,  under  whose  charge  and  protection 
she  was  now  traveling,  and  she  had  become 
strongly  attached  to  them.  They  were  both 
considerably  advanced  in  life,  and  were  grave 
and  quiet  in  their  demeanor,  but  they  were  very 
kind  and  attentive  to  Margaret  in  every  respect, 
and  they  made  every  effort  in  their  power  to 
console  the  grief  that  she  felt  at  parting  with  her 
parents  and  friends,  and  leaving  her  native  land, 
and  they  endeavored  in  every  way  to  make  the 
journey  as  comfortable  and  as  agreeable  as  pos- 
sible to  her. 

During  all  this  time  a  vessel,  which  had  been 
dispatched  from  England  for  the  purpose,  was 
waiting  at  a  certain  port  on  the  northern  coast 
of  France  called  Kiddelaws,  ready  to  take  the 
queen  and  her  bridal  train  across  the  Channel. 
The  distance  from  Nancy  to  this  port  was  very 


102         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU.      [1444. 

Causes  of  delay.  Henry's  want  of  money. 

considerable,  and  the  means  and  facilities  for 
traveling  enjoyed  in  those  days  were  so  imper- 
fect that  a  great  deal  of  time  was  necessarily 
employed  on  the  journey.  Besides  this,  a  long 
delay  was  occasioned  by  the  want  of  funds. 
King  Henry  had  himself  agreed  to  defray  all 
the  expenses  of  the  marriage,  and  also  of  the 
progress  of  the  bridal  party  through  France  to 
England.  These  expenses  were  necessarily 
great,  and  it  happened  at  this  time  that  the  king 
was  in  very  straitened  circumstances  in  respect 
to  funds.  He  was  greatly  embarrassed,  too,  in 
the  efforts  which  he  made  to  procure  money,  by 
the  difficulties  which  were  thrown  in  his  way 
by  the  party  of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  who 
resisted  by  every  means  in  their  power  all  ac- 
tion of  Parliament  tending  to  furnish  the  king's 
treasury  with  money,  and  thus  promote  the 
final  accomplishment  of  the  marriage. 

In  consequence  of  all  these  difficulties  and 
delays,  it  was  nearly  three  months  from  the 
time  when  the  bridal  ceremony  was  performed 
at  Nancy  before  Margaret  was  ready  to  embark 
for  England  in  the  vessel  that  awaited  her  at 
Kiddelaws. 

It  was  not  merely  for  the  expenses  of  the 
journey  through  France  of  Margaret  and  her 
train  that  Henry  ha,d  to  provide.  On  her  ar- 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  103 

Expenses  to  be  incurred  in  England.  Passage  across  the  Channel. 

rival  in  England  there  was  to  be  a  grand  recep- 
tion, which  would  require  many  costly  equi- 
pages, and  the  giving  of  many  entertainments. 
Then,  moreover,  the  marriage  ceremony  was  to 
be  performed  anew,  and  in  a  far  more  pompous 
and  imposing  manner  than  before,  and  after  the 
marriage  a  coronation,  with  all  the  attendant  fes- 
tivities and  celebrations.  All  these  things  in- 
volved great  expense,  and  Margaret  could  not 
come  into  the  kingdom  until  the  preparations 
were  made  for  the  whole.  To  such  straits  was 
the  king  reduced  in  his  efforts  to  raise  the  mon- 
ey which  he  deemed  necessary  for  the  proper 
reception  of  his  bride,  that  he  was  obliged  to 
pledge  a  large  portion  of  the  crown  jewels,  and 
also  of  the  family  plate  and  other  personal  prop- 
erty of  that  kind.  A  considerable  part  of  the 
property  so  pledged  was  never  redeemed. 

At  length,  however,  things  were  so  far  in 
readiness  that  orders  arrived  for  the  sailing  of 
the  expedition.  The  party  accordingly  em- 
barked, and  the  vessel  sailed.  They  crossed 
the  Channel,  and  entered  Portsmouth  harbor, 
and  finally  landed  at  the  town  of  Porchester, 
which  is  situated  at  the  head  of  the  harbor. 
The  voyage  was  not  very  agreeable.  The  ves- 
sel was  small,  and  the  Channel  in  this  place  is 
wide,  and  Margaret  was  so  sick  during  the  pas- 


104         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1444. 

Rough  weather.          Margaret's  reception.          Passage  to  Southampton. 

sage,  and  became  so  entirely  exhausted,  that 
when  the  vessel  reached  the  port  she  could  not 
stand,  and  Suffolk  carried  her  to  the  shore  in 
his  arms. 

The  boisterous  weather  which  had  attended 
the  party  during  their  voyage  increased  till  it 
ended  in  a  dreadful  storm  of  thunder,  light- 
ning, and  rain,  which  burst  over  the  town  of 
Porchester  just  at  the  time  while  the  party  were 
landing.  The  people,  however,  paid  no  atten- 
tion to  the  storm  and  rain,  but  flocked  in  crowds 
into  the  streets  where  the  bride  was  to  pass,  and 
strewed  rushes  along  the  way  to  make  a  carpet 
for  her.  They  also  rilled  the  air  with  joyful  ac- 
clamations as  the  procession  passed  along.  In 
this  way  the  royal  bride  was  conveyed  through 
the  town  to  a  convent  in  the  vicinity,  where  she 
was  to  rest  for  the  first  night,  and  prepare  for 
continuing  her  journey  to  London. 

The  next  day,  the  weather  having  become 
settled  and  fair,  it  was  arranged  that  Margaret 
and  her  party  should  be  conveyed  from  Por- 
chester to  Southampton  along  the  shore  in 
barges.  The  water  of  this  passage  is  smooth, 
being  sheltered  every  where  by  the  land.  The 
barges  first  moved  down  Portsmouth  harbor, 
then  out  into  what  is  called  the  Solent  Sea, 
which  is  a  narrow,  sheltered,  and  beautiful  sheet 


1444.]  THE  WEDDING.  105 

The  queen  takes  lodgings  in  a  convent.      The  king.      Lichfield  Abbey. 

of  water,  lying  between  the  Isle  of  Wight  and 
the  main  land,  and  thence,  entering  Southamp- 
ton Water,  they  passed  up,  a  distance  of  eight 
or  ten  miles,  to  the  town.* 

On  the  arrival  of  the  queen  at  Southampton, 
she  was  conveyed  again  to  a  convent  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  town,  for  this  was  before  the 
days  of  hotels.  Here  she  was  met  by  persons 
sent  from  the  king  to  assist  her  in  respect  to 
her  farther  preparations  for  appearing  at  his 
court.  Among  other  measures  that  were  adopt- 
ed, one  was  the  sending  a  special  messenger  to 
London  to  bring  an  English  dressmaker  to 
Southampton,  in  order  that  suitable  dresses 
might  be  prepared  for  the  bride,  to  enable  hei 
to  appear  properly  in  the  presence  of  the  En 
glish  ladies  at  the  approaching  ceremonies. 

In  the  mean  time,  King  Henry,  whom  the 
rules  of  royal  etiquette  did  not  allow  to  join 
the  queen  until  the  time  should  arrive  for  the 
performance  of  the  second  part  of  the  nuptial 
ceremony,  came  down  from  London,  and  took 
up  his  abode  at  a  place  ten  or  twelve  miles  dis- 
tant, called  South  wick,  where  he  had  a  palace 
and  a  park.  The  nuptials  were  to  be  cele- 
brated at  a  certain  abbey  called  Lichfield  Ab- 
bey, which  was  situated  about  midway  between 

*  See  Frontispiece. 


106         MARGARET  OF  ANJOD.     [1445. 

Margaret  is  seriously  sick.  Recovery.  The  final  ceremony. 

Southampton,  where  the  queen  was  lodged,  and 
Southwick,  the  place  of  waiting  for  the  king. 
The  king  had  expected  that  every  thing  would 
be  ready  in  a  few  days,  but  he  was  destined  to 
encounter  a  new  delay.  Margaret  had  scarce- 
ly arrived  in  Southampton  when  she  was  at- 
tacked by  an  eruptive  fever  of  some  sort,  re- 
sembling small-pox,  which  threw  all  her  friends 
into  a  state  of  great  alarm  concerning  her.  The 
disease,  however,  proved  less  serious  than  was 
at  first  apprehended,  and  after  a  week  or  two 
the  danger  seemed  to  be  over. 

During  all  the  time  while  his  bride  was  thus 
sick  Henry  remained  in  great  suspense  and  anx- 
iety at  Southwick,  being  forbidden,  by  the  rigid 
rules  of  royal  etiquette,  to  see  her. 

At  length  Margaret  recovered,  and  the  day 
was  appointed  for  the  final  celebration  of  the 
nuptials.  When  the  time  arrived,  Margaret 
was  conveyed  in  great  state,  and  at  the  head  of 
a  splendid  cavalcade,  to  the  abbey,  and  there 
the  marriage  ceremony  was  again  performed  in 
the  presence  of  a  great  concourse  of  lords  and 
ladies  that  had  come  from  London  and  Wind- 
sor, or  from  their  various  castles  in  the  country 
around,  to  be  present  on  the  occasion. 

This  final  ceremony  was  performed  in  April, 
1445.  Of  course,  as  Margaret  was  born  in 


THE  WEDDING.  109 

Strange  bridal  present  The  lion  sent  to  the  Tower. 

March,  1429,  she  was  at  this  time  sixteen  years 
and  one  month  old. 

Among  other  curious  incidents  which  are  re- 
corded in  connection  with  this  wedding,  there 
is  an  account  of  Margaret's  receiving,  as  a  pres- 
ent on  the  occasion — for  a  pet,  as  it  were,  just 
as  at  the  present  day  a  young  bride  might  re- 
ceive a  gift  of  a  spaniel  or  a  canary-bird — a 
lion.  It  was  very  common  in  those  times  for 
the  wealthy  nobles  to  keep  such  animals  as 
these  at  their  castles.  They  were  confined  in 
dens  constructed  for  them  near  the  castle  walls. 
The  kings  of  England,  however,  kept  their 
lions,  when  they  had  any,  in  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don, and  the  practice  thus  established  of  keep- 
ing wild  beasts  in  the  Tower  was  continued 
down  to  a  very  late  period ;  so  that  I  remem- 
ber of  often  reading,  when  I  was  a  boy,  in  En- 
glish story-books,  accounts  of  children,  when 
they  went  to  London,  being  taken  by  their 
parents  to  see  the  "  lions  in  the  Tower." 

Margaret  sent  her  lion  to  the  Tower.  In 
the  book  of  expenses  which  was  kept  for  this 
famous  bridal  progress,  there  is  an  account  of 
the  sum  of  money  paid  to  two  men  for  taking 
care  of  this  lion,  feeding  him  and  conveying 
him  to  London.  The  amount  was  £2  5s.  3d., 
which  is  equal  to  about  ten  or  twelve  dollars 


110         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1445. 

Margaret  continues  her  journey  toward  London.  Rejoicings. 

of  our  money.  This  seems  very  little  for  such 
a  service,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
value  of  money  was  much  greater  in  those 
times  than  it  is  now. 

Immediately  after  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  completed,  the  preparations  for  the  journey 
having  been  all  made  beforehand,  the  king 
and  queen  set  out  together  for  London,  and  it 
soon  began  to  appear  that  this  part  of  the  jour- 
ney was  to  be  more  splendid  and  gay  than  any 
other.  The  people  of  the  country,  who  had 
heard  marvelous  stories  of  the  youth  and  beau- 
ty and  the  early  family  misfortunes  of  the 
queen,  flocked  in  crowds  along  the  roadsides 
to  get  a  glimpse  of  her  as  she  passed,  and  to 
gaze  on  the  grand  train  of  knights  and  nobles 
that  accompanied  her,  and  to  admire  the  mag- 
nificence of  the  dresses  and  decorations  which 
were  so  profusely  displayed.  Every  body  came 
wearing  a  daisy  in  his  cap  or  in  his  button- 
hole, for  the  daisy  was  the  flower  which  Mar- 
garet had  chosen  for  her  emblem.  At  every 
town  through  which  the  bride  passed  she  was 
met  by  immense  crowds  that  thronged  all  the 
accessible  places,  and  filled  the  windows,  and 
in  some  places  covered  the  roofs  of  the  houses 
and  the  tops  of  the  walls,  and  welcomed  her 
with  the  sound  of  trumpets,  the  waving  of 


1445.]  THE  WEDDING.  1H 

Tho  Duke  of  Gloucester.          His  plans.         His  invitation  to  the  queen. 

banners,  and  with  prolonged  shouts  and  ac- 
clamations. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
who,  with  his  party,  had  done  every  thing  in 
his  power  to  oppose  the  marriage,  now,  finding 
that  it  was  an  accomplished  fact,  and  that  all 
farther  opposition  would  not  only  be  useless, 
but  would  only  tend  to  hasten  and  complete 
his  own  utter  downfall,  concluded  to  change 
his  course,  and  join  heartily  himself  in  the  gen- 
eral welcome  which  was  given  to  the  bride. 
His  plan  was  to  persuade  the  queen  that  the 
opposition  which  he  had  made  to  King  Hen- 
ry's measures  was  directed  only  against  the 
peace  which  had  been  made  with  France,  and 
which  he  had  opposed  for  political  considera- 
tions alone,  but  that,  so  far  as  the  marriage 
with  Margaret  was  concerned,  he  approved  it. 
So  he  prepared  to  outdo,  if  possible,  all  the 
rest  of  the  nobility  in  the  magnificence  of  the 
welcome  which  he  was  to  give  her  on  her  ar- 
rival in  London.  He  possessed  a  palace  at 
Greenwich,  on  the  Thames,  a  short  distance  be- 
low London,  and  he  sent  an  invitation  to  Mar- 
garet to  come  there  on  the  last  day  of  her  jour- 
ney, in  order  to  rest  and  refresh  herself  a  little 
preparatory  to  the  excitement  and  fatigue  of 
entering  London.  Margaret  accepted  this  in- 


112         MAKGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1445. 

Great  preparations  in  London.  Curious  exhibitions. 

vitation,  and  when  the  bridal  procession  began 
to  draw  nigh,  Gloucester  came  forth  to  meet 
her  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  five  hundred  of 
his  own  retainers,  all  dressed  in  his  uniform, 
and  wearing  the  badge  of  his  personal  service. 
This  great  parade  was  intended  partly  to  do 
honor  to  the  bride,  and  partly  to  impress  her 
with  a  proper  sense  of  his  own  rank  and  im- 
portance as  one  of  the  nobles  of  England,  and 
of  the  danger  that  she  would  incur  in  making 
him  her  enemy. 

Very  splendid  preparations  were  made  in 
the  city  of  London  to  do  honor  to  the  royal 
bride  in  her  passage  through  the  city.  It  was 
the  custom  in  those  times  to  exhibit  in  the 
streets,  on  great  public  days,  tableaux,  and  em- 
blematic or  dramatic  representations  of  certain 
truths  or  moral  sentiments  appropriate  to  the 
occasion,  and  sometimes  of  passages  of  Scripture 
history.  A  great  many  of  these  exhibitions 
were  arranged  by  the  citizens  of  London,  to  be 
seen  by  the  bride  and  the  bridal  procession  as 
they  passed  through  the  streets.  Some  of  these 
were  very  quaint  and  queer,  and  would  only 
be  laughed  at  at  the  present  day.  For  in- 
stance, in  one  place  was  an  arrangement  of 
two  figures,  one  dressed  to  represent  justice, 
and  the  other  peace;  and  these  figures  were 


1445.]  THE  WEDDING.  113 

Justice  and  peace.  The  queen  passes  through  London. 

made  movable  and  fitted  with  strings,  so  that, 
at  the  proper  moment,  when  the  queen  was 
passing,  they  could  be  made  to  come  together 
and  apparently  kiss  each  other.  This  was  in- 
tended as  an  expression  of  the  text,  justice  and 
peace  have  kissed  each  other,  which  was  con- 
sidered as  an  appropriate  text  to  characterize 
and  commemorate  the  peace  between  England 
and  France  which  this  marriage  had  sealed. 
In  another  place  the*3  was  an  emblematical  pa- 
geant representing  peace  and  plenty.  There 
were  also,  at  other  places,  representations  of 
Noah's  ark,  of  the  parable  of  the  wise  and  fool- 
ish virgins,  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and 
even  one  of  the  general  resurrection  and  j  udg- 
ment  day. 

On  the  morning  of  the  day  appointed  for  the 
queen's  entry  into  London,  the  pageants  hav- 
ing all  been  prepared  and  set  up  in  their  places, 
a  grand  procession  of  the  mayor  and  aldermen, 
and  other  dignitaries,  was  formed,  and  proceed- 
ed down  the  river  toward  Greenwich,  in  order 
to  meet  the  queen  and  escort  her  through  the 
city.  These  civic  officers  were  all  mounted  on 
horseback,  and  dressed  in  their  gay  official  cos- 
tumes. The  chiefs  were  dressed  in  scarlet,  and 
the  body  of  their  followers,  arranged  in  bands 
according  to  their  respective  trades,  wore  blue 
20-8 


114         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1445. 

The  coronation.  The  queen  left  to  repose. 

gowns,  with  embroidered  sleeves  and  red  hoods. 
In  this  way  the  royal  procession  was  escorted 
over  London  Bridge,  and  through  the  principal 
streets  of  the  city  to  Westminster,  where  the 
bride  was  at  length  safely  received  in  the  pal- 
ace of  her  husband. 

This  was  on  the  28th  of  May.  Two  days  aft- 
erward Margaret  was  crowned  queen  in  West- 
minster with  great  parade  and  ceremony.  The 
coronation  was  foL1  ^ed  by  a  grand  tournament 
of  three  days'  duration,  accompanied  with  ban- 
quets and  other  festivities  usual  on  such  occa- 
sions, and  then  at  length  the  bride  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  feeling  that  the  long-protracted  cer- 
emony was  over,  and  that  she  was  now  to  be 
left  to  repose. 


1445.]  KECEPTION  IN  ENGLAND.      115 

Duke  of  Gloucester.  The  cardinal. 


CHAPTER  VII. 
RECEPTION  IN  ENGLAND. 

T^TOTWITHSTANDING  the  grand  recep- 
-1-^1  tion  which  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  gave 
to  Margaret  on  her  arrival  in  England,  she  knew 
very  well  that  he  had  always  been  opposed  to 
her  marriage,  and  had  not  failed  to  do  all  in 
his  power  to  prevent  it.  She  accordingly  con- 
sidered him  as  her  enemy ;  and  though  she  en- 
deavored at  first,  at  least,  to  treat  him  with  out- 
ward politeness,  she  felt  a  secret  resentment 
against  him  in  heart,  and  would  have  been 
very  glad  to  have  joined  his  political  enemies 
in  effecting  his  overthrow. 

Cardinal  Beaufort  and  the  Earl  of  Suffolk, 
as  has  already  been  said,  were  Gloucester's  ri- 
vals and  enemies.  The  cardinal  was  a  vener- 
able man,  now  quite  advanced  in  years.  He 
was,  however,  extremely  ambitious.  He  was 
immensely  wealthy,  and  his  wealth  gave  him 
great  influence.  He  had,  moreover,  been  the 
guardian  of  the  king  during  his  minority,  and 
in  that  capacity  had  acquired  a  great  influence 
over  his  mind.  The  Earl  of  Suffolk,  who,  with 


116         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1445. 

Margaret's  affection  for  Lord  and  Lady  Suffolk.  QuarreL 

his  lady,  had  been  sent  to  France  to  bring  Mar- 
garet over,  had  inspired  Margaret  with  a  great 
friendship  for  him.  She  felt  a  strong  affection 
for  him,  and  also  for  Lady  Suffolk,  not  only 
on  account  of  their  having  acted  so  important 
a  part  in  promoting  her  marriage,  but  also  on 
account  of  the  very  kind  and  attentive  manner 
in  which  they  had  treated  her  during  the  whole 
period  of  her  journey.  Thus  the  cardinal  and 
Suffolk,  on  the  one  hand,  had  the  advantage, 
in  their  quairel  with  the  Duke  of  Gloucester, 
of  great  personal  influence  over  the  king  and 
queen,  while  Gloucester  himself,  on  the  other 
hand,  enjoyed  in  some  respects  a  still  greater 
advantage  in  his  popularity  with  the  mass  of 
the  people.  Every  body  perceived  that  the 
old  quarrel  between  these  great  personages 
would  now,  on  the  arrival  of  the  queen  in  En- 
gland, be  prosecuted  with  more  violence  than 
ever,  and  all  the  courtiers  were  anxious  to  find 
out  which  was  likely  to  be  the  victor,  so  that, 
at  the  end  of  the  battle,  they  might  be  found 
on  the  winning  side. 

As  soon  as  the  coronation  was  over  the  prin- 
cipal personages  who  had  been  sent  with  Mar- 
garet by  her  father,  for  the  purpose  of  accom- 
panying her  on  her  journey,  and  seeing  her 
properly  and  comfortably  established  in  her 


1445.]  RECEPTION  IN  ENGLAND.       117 


Margaret  is  left  to  herself. 


new  home,  were  dismissed  and  allowed  to  set 
out  on  their  return.  They  all  received  pres- 
ents in  money  from  King  Henry  to  reimburse 
them  for  the  expenses  of  the  journey  which 
they  had  made  in  bringing  him  his  bride. 


ANCIENT   PORTRAIT  OP  QUEEN   MABGABBT. 

Margaret  was  thus  left  to  herself  in  the  new 
station  and  new  sphere  of  duty  to  which  sue 


118         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Repair  of  the  palaces.  The  king's  w ant  of  money. 

had  been  transferred.  All  the  royal  palaces 
had  been  fitted  up  expressly  for  her  reception. 
This  was  very  necessary  in  fact,  for  some  years 
had  elapsed  since  there  had  been  a  queen  in 
England,  and  all  the  royal  residences  had  be- 
come very  much  out  of  repair.  Those  were 
rude  times,  and  even  the  palaces  and  castles 
that  were  built  for  kings  and  queens  were  at 
best  very  comfortless  dwellings.  But  when, 
during  a  long  minority,  they  were  abandoned 
to  the  rude  tenants  and  rough  usages  to  which 
at  such  times  they  were  sure  to  be  devoted, 
they  came,  in  the  end,  to  be  little  better  than  so 
many  barracks  for  soldiery.  It  required  a  great 
deal  of  time,  and  no  little  expense,  to  prepare 
the  Tower  and  the  palaces  of  Westminster  and 
Richmond  for  the  reception  of  a  young  and 
beautiful  queen,  and  of  the  gay  company  of  la- 
dies that  were  to  attend  her.  King  Henry  was 
so  destitute  of  money  at  this  time  that  he  found 
it  extremely  difficult  to  provide  the  means  of 
paying  the  workmen.  There  is  still  extant  a 
petition  which  the  clerk  of  the  works  sent  in  to 
the  king,  praying  him  to  supply  him  with  more 
money  to  pay  the  men,  for  the  labor  was  so 
poorly  paid,  and  the  wages  were  so  much  in  ar- 
rears, that  it  was  extremely  difficult  for  him  to 
find  men,  he  said,  to  go  on  with  the  work. 


RECEPTION  IN  ENGLAND.       119 

The  queen  attaches  herself  to  Cardinal  Beaufort.    Jealousy  of  Gloucester. 

The  palaces  were,  however,  at  last  made 
ready  before  Margaret  came.  There  were 
apartments  for  her  in  the  Tower,  and  there  were 
also  three  other  palaces  in  and  near  London,  in 
either  of  which  she  could  reside  at  her  pleas- 
ure. Besides  this,  the  cardinal,  who,  as  has  al- 
ready been  remarked,  was  possessed  of  immense 
wealth,  owned,  among  his  other  establishments, 
a  beautiful  mansion  at  Waltham  Forest,  a  few 
miles  north  of  London.  The  cardinal  set  apart 
a  state  chamber  in  this  house  for  the  exclusive 
use  of  the  queen  when  she  came  to  visit  him, 
and  caused  it  to  be  fitted  up  and  furnished  in  a 
magnificent  manner  for  her.  The  drapery  of 
the  bed  was  of  cloth  of  gold  from  Damascus, 
and  the  other  furniture  and  fittings  were  to  cor- 
respond. The  queen  used  often  to  go  and  visit 
the  cardinal  at  this  country  seat.  She  soon 
became  very  fond  of  him,  and  willing  to  be 
guided  by  his  counsel  in  almost  every  thing 
that  she  did.  Indeed,  the  ascendency  which 
the  cardinal  thus  exercised  over  Margaret  great- 
ly increased  his  power  over  the  king.  The  af- 
fairs of  the  court  and  of  the  government  were 
directed  almost  wholly  by  his  counsels.  The 
Duke  of  Gloucester  and  the  nobles  of  his  party 
became  more  and  more  indignant  and  angry  at 
this  state  of  things.  The  realm  of  England, 


120         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Great  mistakes  often  made. 


they  said,  through  the  weakness  and  imbecility 
of  the  king,  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  a  priest 
and  of  a  woman — a  French  woman,  too. 

But  there  was  nothing  that  they  could  do. 
Margaret  was  so  young  and  so  beautiful  that 
every  body  was  captivated  with  her  person  and 
behavior,  and  whatever  she  did  was  thought  to 
be  right.  Indeed,  the  general  course  which  she' 
pursued  on  her  first  arrival  in  England  was 
right  in  an  eminent  degree.  There  have  been 
many  cases  in  which  young  queens,  in  coming 
as  Margaret  did,  away  from  their  native  land 
and  from  all  their  early  friends,  to  reign  in  a 
foreign  court,  have  brought  with  them  from 
home  personages  of  distinction  to  be  their  fa- 
vorites and  friends  in  their  new  position.  But 
when  this  is  done,  jealousies  and  ill-will  always 
sooner  or  later  spring  up  between  these  rela- 
tives and  friends  of  the  foreign  bride  and  the 
old  native  advisers  of  the  king  her  husband. 
The  result  is,  in  the  end,  a  king's  party  and  a 
queen's  party  at  court,  and  perpetual  quarrels 
and  dissensions  ensue,  in  which  at  least  the 
people  of  the  country  are  sure  to  become  in- 
volved, from  their  natural  jealousy  of  the  for- 
eign influence,  as  they  call  it,  introduced  by  the 
queen. 

Queen  Margaret  had  the  good  sense  to  avoid 


KECEPTION  IN  ENGLAND.       121 

Margaret's  friends  and  counselors.  Her  good  sense. 

this  danger.  All  the  principal  persons  who 
came  with  her  to  England,  for  the  purpose  of 
accompanying  her  on  the  journey,  and  of  car- 
rying back  to  her  father  and  friends  in  France 
authentic  assurances  of  her  having  been  honor- 
ably received  by  her  husband  as  his  bride  and 
queen,  were  dismissed  and  sent  home  again  im- 
mediately after  the  coronation,  as  we  have  al- 
ready seen.  Margaret  retained  only  certain  do- 
mestic servants,  and  perhaps  some  two  or  three 
private  and  personal  friends.  As  for  counselors 
and  advisers,  she  threw  herself  at  once  upon  the 
ministers  and  counselors  of  the  king — the  Car- 
dinal Beaufort,  who  had  been  his  guardian  from 
childhood,  and  the  Earl  of  Suffolk,  who  was  one 
of  his  principal  ministers,  and  had  been  sent  by 
him,  as  his  proxy  and  representative,  to  nego- 
tiate the  marriage  and  bring  home  the  bride. 
She  made  Lady  Suffolk,  too — the  wife  of  the 
earl — her  most  intimate  female  friend.  She  ap- 
pointed her  to  the  principal  place  of  honor  in 
her  household,  and  in  other  ways  manifested 
great  affection  for  her.  The  good  sense  and 
discretion  which  she  thus  manifested — young 
as  she  was,  for  she  was  not  yet  seventeen — in 
choosing  for  her  confidential  friend  a  lady  of 
the  age  and  standing  of  Lady  Suffolk,  instead 
of  attempting  to  place  in  that  position  some  for- 


122         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Example  for  all  young  brides.  Opinions  in  Kngland 

eign  belle  of  her  own  years,  whom  she  had 
brought  with  her  for  the  purpose  from  her  na- 
tive land,  as  many  young  brides  in  her  situ 
ation  would  have  done,  deserves  much  com- 
mendation. In  a  word,  Margaret,  in  becoming 
a  wife,  gave  herself  up  entirely  to  her  husband. 
She  made  his  friends  her  friends,  and  his  inter 
ests  her  interests,  and  thus  transferred  herself, 
wholly  and  without  reserve,  to  her  new  posi- 
tion; an  example  which  all  young  ladies  whose 
marriage  brings  them  into  entirely  new  circum- 
stances and  relations  would  do  well  to  follow. 
Nothing  is  more  dangerous  than  the  attempt  in 
such  cases  to  bring  from  the  old  home  influ- 
ences in  any  form  to  be  introduced  with  a  view 
of  sharing  the  control  in  the  new. 

In  consequence  of  the  discreet  course  of  con- 
duct that  Margaret  thus  pursued,  and  of  the  ef- 
fect produced  on  the  court  by  her  beauty,  her 
vivacity,  and  her  many  polite  accomplishments, 
public  opinion — that  is,  the  opinion  of  the  out- 
side world,  who  knew  nothing  of  her  secret  de- 
signs or  of  her  real  character — turned  very  soon 
after  her  arrival  in  England  entirely  in  her  fa- 
vor. As  has  already  been  said,  the  general  sen- 
timent of  the  nobles  and  of  the  people  was 
strongly  against  the  match  when  it  was  first 
proposed.  They  opposed  it,  not  because  they 


RECEPTION  IN  ENGLAND.       123 

Henry's  character.  Margaret's  character. 

had  any  personal  objection  to  Margaret  herself, 
but  because,  in  order  to  prepare  the  way  for  it, 
it  was  necessary  to  make  peace  with  France,  and 
in  making  peace,  to  grant  certain  concessions 
which  they  thought  would  weaken  the  power 
of  the  English  on  the  Continent,  and,  at  any  rate, 
greatly  interfere  with  the  farther  extension  of 
their  power  there.  But  when  the  people  came 
to  see  and  know  the  queen,  they  all  admired 
and  loved  her. 

As  for  the  king,  he  was  perfectly  enchanted 
with  his  bride.  He  was  himself,  as  has  already 
been  said,  of  a  very  sedate  and  quiet  turn  of 
mind ;  amiable  and  gentle  in  disposition ;  de- 
vout, fond  of  retirement,  and  interested  only  in 
such  occupations  and  pleasures  as  are  consistent 
with  a  life  of  tranquillity  and  repose.  Margaret 
was  as  different  as  possible  from  all  this.  Her 
brilliant  personal  charms,  her  wit,  her  spirit, 
her  general  intellectual  superiority,  the  extraor- 
dinary courage  for  which  she  afterward  became 
so  celebrated,  and  which  began  to  show  itself 
even  at  this  early  period,  all  combined  to 
awaken  in  Henry's  mind  a  profound  admira- 
tion for  his  wife,  and  gave  her  a  great  and  rap- 
idly-increasing ascendency  over  him. 

The  impression  which  Margaret  made  upon 
the  people  was  equally  favorable.  England, 


124        MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Her  popularity  in  England. 


they  thought,  had  never  seen  a  queen  more 
worthy  of  the  throne  than  Margaret  of  Anjou. 
Some  one  said  of  her  that  no  woman  equaled 
her  in  beauty,  and  few  men  surpassed  her  in 
courage  and  energy.  It  seemed  as  if  she  had 
been  born  in  order  to  supply  to  her  royal  hus- 
band the  qualities  which  he  required  in  order 
to  become  a  great  king. 


THE   STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  125 

Intrigues.  A  romantic  story. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE. 

IN  reading  the  history  of  the  English  mon- 
archy in  these  early  times,  you  will  often 
hear  of  the  court  intrigues  which  mingled  with, 
and  sometimes  greatly  complicated,  the  move- 
ment of  public  affairs.  Margaret  of  Anjou 
found  herself,  on  her  arrival  in  England,  in- 
volved in  many  such  intrigues.  Indeed,  she 
was  admirably  qualified,  by  her  sagacity  and 
quickness  of  apprehension,  and  by  the  great 
ascendency  which  these  and  other  qualities 
which  she  possessed  gave  her  over  the  minds 
of  all  about  her,  to  take  a  very  active  and  suc- 
cessful part  in  the  management  of  manceu- 
vrings  of  all  sorts.  The  nature  of  these  court 
intrigues  is  very  well  illustrated  by  the  narra- 
tion which  the  most  celebrated  of  Margaret's 
biographers  gives  of  one  in  which  he  says  that 
Margaret  herself  became  involved  while  on  her' 
way  from  France  to  England.  The  story  seems 
much  more  like  romance  than  like  reality. 
Indeed,  it  doubtless  is  a  romance,  but  it  never- 
theless illustrates  well  the  manner  in  which  the 


126         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Lady  Neville.  First  interview.  Dauphiness. 

private  passions  and  personal  and  family  quar 
rels  of  the  great  became  involved  with,  and 
sometimes  entirely  controlled,  the  most  import 
ant  events  in  the  national  history,  and  there- 
fore it  will  not  be  amiss  to  relate  it. 

The  first  connection  which  Queen  Margaret, 
as  we  are  henceforth  to  call  her,  had  with  the 
affair  of  Lady  Neville,  took  place  at  Abbeville, 
a  town  in  France  not  very  far  from  Calais, 
when  the  queen  was  advancing  toward  the  sea- 
coast  on  her  way  to  England.  While  she  was 
at  Abbeville,  there  suddenly  appeared  a  young 
and  beautiful  lady  who  asked  an  audience  of 
Margaret,  announcing  herself  simply  as  one  of 
the  ladies  who  had  been  attached  to  the  serv- 
ice of  the  dauphiness,  who  was  the  wife  of  the 
oldest  son  of  the  king,*  and  who  had  recently 
died.  She  was  admitted.  She  remained  in  pri- 
vate conversation  with  Margaret  two  hours,  and 
when  this  mysterious  interview  was  concluded 
she  was  introduced  to  the  other  ladies  of  Mar- 
garet's court  as  Miss  Sanders,  an  English  lady 
who  had  been  attached  to  the  court  of  the  dau- 
phiness, but  who  now,  since  the  death  of  her 

*  See  map.  The  oldest  son  of  the  King  of  France  and 
the  heir  to  the  crown  is  styled  the  Dauphin.  His  rank  and 
position  corresponds  with  that  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  in  En- 
gland. 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  127 

Curiosity  of  the  ladies.  The  stranger's  reserve.  Her  story. 

mistress,  wished  to  return  to  England  in  Mar- 
garet's train.  Margaret  informed  the  other  la' 
dies  that  she  had  received  her  into  her  house- 
hold, and  gave  directions  that  she  should  be 
treated  with  the  utmost  consideration. 

The  other  ladies  were  very  curious  to  solve 
the  mystery  of  this  case,  but  they  could  not  ob- 
tain any  clew  to  it.  The  stranger  was  very  re- 
served, mingled  very  little  with  her  new  com- 
panions, and  evinced  a  constant  desire  to  avoid 
observation.  There  was  something,  however, 
in  her  beauty,  and  in  the  expression  of  deep 
and  constant  grief  which  her  countenance  wore, 
which  made  her  an  object  of  great  interest  to 
all  the  household  of  the  queen,  but  they  could 
not  learn  any  particulars  of  her  history.  The 
facts,  however,  were  these. 

Her  real  name  was  Anne  Neville.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  Richard  Neville,  Earl  of  Salis- 
bury, one  of  the  leading  and  most  highly-con- 
nected noblemen  in  England.  When  she  was 
about  fifteen  years  old  she  was  married  to  a  rel- 
ative of  the  family.  The  marriage,  however, 
proved  a  very  unhappy  one.  Her  husband 
was  very  jealous  of  her.  From  her  subsequent 
conduct  it  would  seem  probable  that  he  might 
have  had  good  reason  to  be  so.  At  any  rate, 
he  was  extremely  jealous;  and  as  he  was  of  a 


128          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 


Her  unhappy  marriage.  Her  marriage  dissolved.  Pretext. 

harsh  and  cruel  temper,  he  made  his  young 
wife  very  miserable  by  the  exactions  and  pri- 
vations which  he  enforced  upon  her,  and  by  the 
violent  invectives  with  which  he  continually 
assailed  her. 

The  incessant  anxiety  and  suffering  which 
these  troubles  occasioned  soon  began  to  prey 
upon  the  lady's  health,  and,  at  length,  her  fa- 
ther, observing  that  she  was  growing  pale  and 
thin,  began  to  inquire  into  the  cause.  He  soon 
learned  what  a  dreadful  life  his  daughter  was 
leading.  Like  most  of  the  other  great  nobles 
of  those  days,  he  was  a  man  of  violent  char- 
acter, and  he  immediately  determined  on  res- 
cuing his  daughter  from  her  husband's  power. 
for  he  considered  her  husband  as  the  party 
chiefly,  if  not  wholly,  to  blame. 

He  ascertained,  or  pretended  to  ascertain, 
that  there  had  been  some  informalities  con- 
nected with  the  marriage.  His  daughter  was 
distantly  related  to  her  husband,  and  there 
were  certain  steps  which  it  was  necessary  to 
take  in  such  cases  to  obtain  a  dispensation  from 
the  Church,  in  order  to  render  such  marriage 
legal.  These  steps  he  now  alleged  had  not 
been  properly  taken,  and  he  immediately  in- 
stituted proceedings  to  have  the  marriage  an- 
nulled. Whether  there  was  really  any  suffi- 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  129 

Her  marriage  annulled.  She  becomes  free.  Her  admirers. 

cient  ground  for  such  annulling,  or  whether  he 
obtained  the  decree  through  influences  which 
his  high  position  enabled  him  to  bring  to  bear 
upon  the  court,  I  do  not  know.  He,  however, 
succeeded  in  his  purpose.  The  marriage  was 
annulled,  and  his  daughter  returned  home; 
and,  in  order  to  obliterate  as  far  as  possible  all 
traces  of  the  unhappy  union  into  which  she 
had  been  drawn,  she  dropped  the  name  which 
she  had  received  from  her  husband  and  re- 
sumed again  her  own  maiden  name. 

She  now  began  soon  to  appear  at  court,  where 
she  almost  immediately  attracted  great  atten- 
tion. On  account  of  the  peculiar  circumstances 
in  which  she  was  placed,  she  enjoyed  all  the 
privileges  of  a  widow,  combined  with  the  at- 
tractiveness and  the  charms  of  a  lovely  girl. 
Almost  every  body  was  ready  to  fall  in  love 
with  her. 

Among  her  other  admirers  was  the  Duke  of 
Somerset.  He  was  a  man  of  high  rank  and  of 
great  accomplishments,  but  he  was  married, 
and  he  could  not,  therefore,  innocently  make 
her  the  object  of  his  love.  He  was  not,  how- 
ever, deterred  by  this  consideration,  and  he 
soon  succeeded  in  making  a  strong  impression 
upon  Lady  Neville^s  heart.  They  soon  con- 
trived means  of  meeting  each  other  in  private, 

20—9 


130         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

The  Duke  of  Gloucester.  Splendid  prospect. 

resorting  to  all  sorts  of  manoeuvres  and  inven- 
tions to  aid  them  in  keeping  their  guilty  at- 
tachment to  each  other  from  the  knowledge  of 
those  around  them. 

In  the  mean  while,  the  Duke  of  Gloucester 
himself,  who  was  now,  however,  considerably 
advanced  in  life,  lost  his  wife,  she  dying  about 
this  time,  and  he  almost  immediately  conceived 
the  idea  of  making  Lady  Neville  her  successor. 
He  thought  it  not  proper  to  say  any  thing  to 
Lady  Neville  herself  on  this  subject  until  some 
little  time  should  have  elapsed,  but  he  spoke 
to  her  father,  the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  who  read- 
ily approved  of  the  plan.  Gloucester  was  at 
this  time  prime  minister  of  England,  and  the- 
lady  whom  he  should  choose  for  his  wife  would 
be  elevated  by  her  marriage  to  the  highest  pin- 
nacle of  grandeur.  Of  course,  the  importance 
and  influence  of  her  father  also,  and  of  all  the 
members  of  her  family,  would  be  greatly  in- 
creased by  so  splendid  an  alliance. 

So  it  was  agreed  that  the  match  should  be 
made,  but  the  arrangement  was  to  be  kept  se- 
cret, not  only  from  the  public,  but  from  the  in- 
tended bride  herself,  until  a  suitable  time  should 
have  elapsed  for  the  widower  to  recover  from 
the  grief  which  the  death  of  his  former  wife 
was  supposed  to  have  occasioned  him. 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  131 

Gloucester's  declaration.  Perplexity  of  Lady  Neville. 


At  length,  when  the  proper  time  for  mourn- 
ing had  expired,  Gloucester  made  his  declara- 
tion of  love.  Lady  Neville  listened  to  it,  think- 
ing all  the  time  what  Somerset  would  say  when 
she  came  to  communicate  the  news  to  him. 
She  did  communicate  it  to  him  on  the  first  op- 
portunity. 

Great  was  the  distress  and  the  perplexity 
which  the  lovers  felt  while  consulting  together 
and  determining  what  was  to  be  done  in  such  an 
emergency.  They  could  not  endure  the  thought 
of  a  separation.  They  could  not  be  married  to 
each  other,  for  Somerset  was  married  already. 
For  Lady  Neville  to  remain  single  all  her  life 
in  order  to  be  at  liberty  to  indulge  a  guilty 
passion  was  an  idea  not  to  be  entertained. 
They  knew,  too,  that  their  present  relations  to 
each  other  could  not  long  be  continued.  A 
thousand  circumstances  might  happen  at  any 
time  to  interrupt  or  to  terminate  it,  and  it  could 
not  be  long,  in  any  event,  before  it  must  come 
to  an  end.  So  it  was  agreed  between  them  that 
Lady  Neville  should  accede  to  the  great  min- 
ister's proposal  and  become  his  wife.  In  the 
mean  time,  until  the  period  should  arrive  for 
the  consummation  of  the  marriage,  they  were 
to  renew  and  redouble  their  intimacy  with  each 
other,  taking,  however,  every  possible  precau- 


132         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

The  duke  becomes  uneasy.  His  spies. 

tion  to  conceal  their  movements  from  the  eyes 
of  others. 

So  the  duke's  offer  was  accepted,  and  it  was 
soon  made  known  to  all  the  court  that  Lady 
Neville  was  his  affianced  bride. 

Thus  far  Lady  Neville  had  treated  the  duke 
with  great  reserve  in  her  accidental  intercourse 
with  him  at  the  reunions  of  the  court,  but  now, 
since  he  was  her  accepted  lover,  he  thought  he 
might  reasonably  expect  a  greater  degree  of 
cordiality  in  her  demeanor  toward  him.  But 
\e  found  no  change.  She  continued  as  formal 
and  reserved  as  ever.  Moreover,  when  he  went 
to  visit  her,  which  he  did  sometimes  several 
times  a  day,  she  was  very  often  not  at  home — 
much  too  often,  he  thought.  He  went  to  the 
place  where  her  domestics  said  she  had  gone  in 
such  cases,  but  she  was  very  seldom  to  be  found. 
He  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  there  was 
some  strange  mystery  involved  in  the  affair, 
and  he  determined  to  adopt  effectual  measures 
for  unraveling  it. 

So  he  employed  certain  trusty  persons  who 
were  in  his  service  to  watch  and  see  where 
Lady  Neville  went,  and  how  she  passed  her 
time  during  these  unaccountable  absences  from 
home.  For  many  days  this  watch  was  contin- 
ued, but  no  discoveries  were  made.  The  spies 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  133 

Discoveries.  The  duke's  perplexity.  His  mode  of  reasoning. 

reported  that  they  could  not  keep  upon  the  la- 
dy's track.  In  spite  of  their  best  exertions  she 
would  contrive  to  elude  them,  and  for  several 
hours  every  day  they  lost  sight  of  her  alto- 
gether. They  saw  enough,  however,  to  satisfy 
them  that  there  was  something  wrong  going  on. 
What  it  was,  however,  they  could  not  discover, 
so  shrewd  and  complete  were  the  precautions 
which  Somerset  and  Lady  Neville  had  taken  to 
prevent  detection. 

The  Duke  of  Gloucester  was  for  a  time  much 
perplexed  to  know  what  to  do,  whether  openly 
to  quarrel  with  Lady  Neville  and  refuse  to  con- 
summate the  marriage,  or  to  banish  his  sus- 
picions and  take  her  for  his  wife.  His  love  for 
her  finally  triumphed,  and  he  resolved  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  marriage.  He  had  no  positive 
evidence  against  her,  he  said  to  himself,  and 
then,  besides,  even  if  there  were  some  secret  at- 
tachment on  her  part,  to  account  for  these  mys- 
terious appearances,  she  might,  after  all,  when 
once  married  to  him,  make  him  a  faithful  and 
affectionate  wife.  Some  lingering  remains  of  a 
former  affection  must  often  necessarily  dwell, 
he  thought,  in  the  heart  of  a  bride,  even  when 
truly  and  honestly  giving  herself  to  the  one  on 
whom  her  choice  is  finally  made.  Especially 
is  this  true  in  cases  where  the  lady  is  young, 


134         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

The  decision.    Clandestine  meeting  of  the  lovers.    Village  on  the  Thames. 

accomplished,  and  lovely,  while  her  husband 
can  only  offer  wealth  or  high  position  instead 
of  youth  and  personal  attractions  as  a  means  of 
winning  her  favor. 

So  it  was  decided  that  the  marriage  should 
take  place,  and  the  day  for  the  wedding  was 
appointed. 

When  the  time  for  the  wedding  drew  nigh, 
and  the  lovers  found  that  the  period  of  their 
enjoyments  was  drawing  to  a  close,  they  de- 
termined on  having  a  farewell  interview  with 
each  other  on  the  day  before  the  wedding,  and 
in  order  to  be  safe  from  interruption,  it  was  ar- 
ranged that  they  should  spend  the  day  together 
in  a  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  at 
some  little  distance  from  London. 

When  the  day  came,  Lady  Neville  left  her 
home  to  repair  to  the  place  of  rendezvous.  She 
was  followed  by  Gloucester's  spies.  She  was 
received  at  the  village  by  Somerset.  Somerset 
was,  however,  so  disguised  that  the  spies  did 
not  know  and  could  not  discover  who  he  was. 
They  were  satisfied,  however,  from  his  demean- 
or toward  Lady  Neville,  that  he  was  her  lover, 
and  they  at  once  reported  the  facts  to  Glouces- 
ter in  London. 

Gloucester  was  of  course  in  a  great  rage. 
He  swore  terrible  vengeance  against  both  Lady 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  135 

Flans  for  her  return.  Gloucester  mistaken. 

Neville  herself  and  her  lover,  whoever  he  might 
be.  He  at  once  armed  a  troop  of  his  followers 
and  rode  off  at  the  head  of  them,  guided  by  one 
of  the  spies,  to  the  village  of  rendezvous.  It 
was  dark  before  he  arrived  there.  Some  peas- 
ants of  whom  he  made  inquiry  informed  him 
that  a  lady  answering  to  the  description  which 
he  gave  them  had  gone  on  board  the  boat  to 
return  to  London  some  time  before.  Glouces- 
ter immediately  turned,  and  made  all  haste 
back  to  London  again,  in  hopes  to  reach  the 
landing  before  the  boat  should  arrive,  with  a 
full  determination  to  kill  both  the  lady  herself 
and  her  paramour  the  moment  they  should 
touch  the  shore. 

He  was  mistaken,  however,  in  supposing 
that  the  paramour,  whoever  he  might  be,  was 
with  the  lady.  Somerset,  in  the  excess  of  his 
precaution,  had  returned  to  London  by  land, 
leaving  Lady  Neville  to  return  by  herself  in 
the  boat  with  the  other  passengers;  for  the 
boat  was  a  sort  of  packet  which  plied  regularly 
between  the  village  and  London.  He,  how- 
ever, had  stationed  trusty  persons  not  far  from 
the  landing  in  London,  who  were  to  receive 
Lady  Neville  on  her  arrival  and  convey  her 
home. 

Gloucester  arrived  at  the  landing  before  the 


136         MARGARET  OF  ANJOTJ. 

The  boat  arrives.  Assault  upon  the  boat.  Boatmen  murdered. 

boat  reached  the  shore.  It  was,  however,  now 
so  dark  that  he  despaired  of  being  able  to  rec< 
ognize  the  persons  he  was  in  pursuit  of,  espe- 
cially under  the  disguise  which  he  did  not  doubt 
that  they  would  wear.  So,  in  the  recklessness 
of  his  rage,  he  resolved  to  kill  every  body  in 
the  boat,  and  thus  to  make  sure  of  his  revenge. 

Accordingly,  the  moment  that  the  boat  touch- 
ed the  shore,  he  and  his  followers  rushed  on 
board,  and  a  dreadful  scene  of  consternation 
and  terror  ensued.  Gloucester  himself  made 
his  way  directly  toward  the  figure  of  a  lady, 
whose  air,  and  manner,  and  style  of  dress  indi- 
cated, so  far  as  he  could  discern  them  in  the 
darkness,  that  she  was  probably  the  object  of 
his  fury.  He  plunged  his  dagger  into  her 
breast.  She,  in  an  agony  of  terror,  leaped  into 
the  river.  She  was  buoyed  up  by  her  dress, 
and  floated  down  the  stream. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  work  of  murder  on 
board  the  boat  went  on.  The  duke  and  his 
men  continued  stabbing  and  striking  down  all 
around  them,  until  the  passengers  and  the  boat- 
men were  every  one  killed.  The  bodies  were 
then  all  thrown  into  the  river,  stones  having 
been  previously  tied  to  them  to  make  them 
sink. 

The  people  in  the  houses  of  the  neighbor- 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  137 

fries.  The  boat  sunk.  Gloucester. 

hood,  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  heard  the 
cries,  and  raised  their  heads  a  moment  from 
their  pillows,  or  paused  as  they  were  walking 
along  the  silent  streets  to  listen.  But  the  cries 
were  soon  suppressed,  for  the  massacre  was  the 
work  of  a  few  moments  only,  and  such  sounds 
were  far  too  common  in  those  days  in  the  streets 
of  London,  and  especially  on  the  river,  to  at- 
tract much  regard. 

The  boat  was  of  course  covered  with  blood. 
The  duke  ordered  his  men  to  take  it  out  into 
the  middle  of  the  river  and  sink  it,  that  being 
the  easiest  and  the  quickest  way  of  covering 
up  all  traces  and  proofs  of  the  crime. 

The  writer  who  relates  this  story  says  that 
Gloucester's  reason  for  wishing  to  have  his 
agency  in  this  transaction  concealed  was  not 
that  he  feared  any  punishment,  for  the  laws 
in  those  days  were  wholly  powerless  to  pun- 
ish deeds  of  violence  like  this,  committed  by 
men  of  Gloucester's  rank  and  station.  He 
only  thought  that  if  it  were  known  that  he  had 
murdered  in  this  way  so  many  innocent  peo- 
ple, in  order  merely  to  make  sure  of  killing  an 
object  of  his  own  private  jealousy  and  hate,  it 
would  injure  his  popularity ! 

In  the  mean  time,  Lady  Neville,  for  it  was 
really  Lady  Neville  whom  Gloucester  had  stab- 


138         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Escape  of  Lady  Neville.  Under  the  bridge. 

bed,  and  who  had  leaped  into  the  river,  float- 
ed on  down  the  stream,  borne  up  by  her  dress, 
which  was  made,  according  to  the  fashion  of 
the  times,  in  a  manner  to  give  it  great  buoy- 
ancy in  the  water,  by  means  of  the  hoops  with 
which  the  sleeves  of  the  robe  were  distended, 
and  also  from  the  form  of  the  head-dress,  which 
was  very  large  and  light,  and  well  adapted  to 
serve  as  a  float  to  keep  the  head  from  sinking. 


FEMALE  COSTUME   IN   THE  TIME  OF   HEXET  VI. 

She  floated  on  in  this  manner  down  the  riv- 
er until  she  had  passed  London  Bridge,  being 
carried  through  by  the  current  under  one  of 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  139 

Rescued.  Received  on  board  a  vessel. 

the  arches.  On  emerging  from  the  bridge,  she 
came  to  the  part  of  the  river  where  the  ships 
and  other  vessels  bound  down  the  river  were 
moored.  It  happened  that  among  other  ves- 
sels lying  at  anchor  in  the  stream  was  one 
bound  to  Normandy.  The  captain  of  this  ves- 
sel had  been  on  shore,  but  he  was  now  coming 
off  in  his  boat  to  go  on  board  again.  As  the 
captain  was  looking  out  over  the  water  by  the 
light  of  a  lantern  which  he  held  in  his  hand, 
to  discern  the  way  to  his  vessel,  he  saw  some- 
thing floating  at  a  short  distance  from  him 
which  resembled  the  dress  of  a  woman.  He 
urged  the  boat  forward  in  that  direction.  He 
succeeded,  with  great  difficulty,  after  arriving 
at  the  spot,  in  getting  the  now  almost  lifeless 
form  of  Lady  Neville  on  board  his  boat,  and 
then  rowed  on  as  fast  as  possible  to  the  vessel. 
Here  every  thing  was  done  which  the  case 
required  to  restore  the  drowning  lady  to  life. 
She  soon  recovered  her  senses,  and  looked 
about  her  wild  with  excitement  and  terror. 
She  had  the  presence  of  mind,  however,  not  to 
say  a  word  that  could  betray  her  secret,  though 
her  dress,  and  her  air  and  manner,  convinced 
the  captain  that  she  was  no  ordinary  person- 
age. The  wound  was  examined  and  found  not 
to  be  serious.  She  had  been  protected  by  some 


140         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU. 

Her  determination.  She  IB  received  by  the  dauphiness. 

portions  of  her  dress  which  had  turned  the 
poniard  aside.  When  she  found  that  the  im- 
mediate danger  had  passed  she  became  more 
composed,  and  began  to  inquire  in  regard  to 
the  persons  and  scenes  around  her.  When  she 
found  that  the  vessel  which  had  received  her 
was  bound  to  Normandy,  she  determined  to  es- 
cape to  that  country ;  so  she  contrived  means 
to  induce  the  captain  to  conceal  her  on  board 
until  the  time  should  arrive  for  setting  sail,  and 
then  to  take  her  with  him  down  the  river  and 
across  the  Channel. 

On  her  arrival  in  France  she  repaired  at  once 
to  the  court  of  the  dauphiness,  who,  being  an 
English  princess,  was  predisposed  to  take  com- 
passion upon  her  and  to  receive  her  kindly. 
She  remained  at  this  court,  as  we  have  seen, 
under  the  assumed  name  of  Miss  Sanders,  until 
the  death  of  the  dauphiness.  She  was  thus 
suddenly  deprived  of  her  protector  in  France, 
but  almost  at  the  same  time  the  marriage  of 
Margaret  of  Anjou  seemed  to  open  to  her  the 
means  of  returning  to  England. 

So  long  as  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  lived  and 
retained  his  power,  she  knew  very  well  that  she 
could  not  return  in  safety  to  the  English  court; 
but  she  thought  that  Margaret's  going  to  En- 
gland would  probably  be  the  precursor  of 
Gloucester's  downfall- 


THE  STORY  OF  LADY  NEVILLE.  141 


Political  intrigues.    Lady  Neville  and  Margaret.    Lady  Neville  returns 

"She  must  hate  him,"  said  she  to  herself, 
"  almost  as  much  as  I  do,  for  he  has  opposed 
her  marriage  from  the  beginning,  and  has  done 
all  in  his  power  to  prevent  it.  Margaret  will 
never  be  satisfied  until  she  has  deposed  him 
from  his  power  and  put  some  friend  of  hers  in 
his  place.  I  can  help  her  in  this  work,  if  she 
will  receive  me  under  her  protection  and  allow 
me  to  accompany  her  to  England." 

So  she  proceeded  to  Abbeville  to  intercept 
the  queen  on  her  way  to  the  coast,  as  we  have 
already  seen.  At  the  long  and  secret  inter- 
view which  she  had  with  her  there  she  related 
to  Margaret  the  story  of  her  connection  with 
Somerset  and  with  Gloucester,  and  of  her  al- 
most miraculous  escape  from  death  at  Glouces- 
ter's hands.  She  now  wished  for  revenge ;  and 
if  Queen  Margaret  would  receive  her  into  her 
service  and  take  her  to  England,  she  would  con- 
cert measures  with  Somerset,  her  lover,  which 
would  greatly  aid  Margaret  in  the  plans  which 
she  might  form  for  effecting  the  downfall  of 
Gloucester. 

Margaret  at  once  and  very  gladly  acceded  to 
this  request,  and  took  Lady  Neville  with  her  to 
England.  She  treated  her  with  great  consider- 
ation and  honor ;  but  still  Lady  Neville  main- 
tained a  strict  reserve  in  all  her  intercourse 


142         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU. 

Mystery. 

with  the  other  ladies  of  the  court,  and  kept  her* 
self  in  great  seclusion,  especially  after  the  ar- 
rival of  the  bridal  party  in  England.  Her  pre- 
text for  this  was  her  deep  affliction  at  the  loss 
of  her  friend  and  patroness  the  Dauphiness  of 
France.  But  the  other  ladies  of  the  court  were 
not  wholly  satisfied  with  this  explanation. 
They  were  fully  convinced  that  there  was  more 
in  the  case  than  met  the  view,  especially  when 
they  found  that  on  the  arrival  of  the  party  in 
England  the  stranger  seemed  to  take  special 
pains  to  avoid  meeting  the  Duke  of  Gloucester. 
They  exerted  all  their  powers  of  watchfulness 
and  scrutiny  to  unravel  the  mystery,  but  in 
vain. 


1445.]  PLOTTINGS.  143 

Personal  and  political  Intrigues.  Margaret's  beauty. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
PLOTTINGS. 

IT  was  in  this  way  that  public  affairs  were 
mingled  and  complicated  with  private  and 
personal  intrigues  in  the  English  court  at  the 
time  of  Margaret's  arrival  in  the  country. 
Margaret  was  of  a  character  which  admirably 
fitted  her  to  act  her  part  well  in  the  manage- 
ment of  such  intrigues,  and  in  playing  off  the 
passions  of  ambition,  love,  resentment,  envy, 
and  hate,  as  manifested  by  those  around  her — 
passions  which  always  glow  and  rage  with 
greater  fury  in  a  court  than  in  any  other  com« 
munity — so  as  to  accomplish  her  ends.  She 
was  very  young  indeed,  but  she  had  arrived  at 
a  maturity,  both  mental  and  personal,  far  be- 
yond her  years.  Her  countenance  was  beauti- 
ful, and  her  air  and  manner  possessed  an  inex- 
pressible charm,  but  her  mental  powers  were  of 
a  very  masculine  character,  and  in  the  boldness 
of  the  plans  which  she  formed,  and  in  the  min- 
gled shrewdness  and  energy  with  which  she 
went  on  to  the  execution  of  them,  she  evinced 
less  the  qualities  of  a  woman  than  of  a  man. 


144         MARGARET  or  AXJOU.      [1445. 

Lady  Neville  supposed  to  be  dead.  Her  father. 

It  was  supposed  by  all  parties  in  England 
that  Lady  Neville  was  dead.  Of  course  the 
Duke  of  Gloucester  had  no  idea  that  any  one 
could  have  escaped  from  the  boat.  He  sup- 
posed that  he  had  effected  the  complete  de- 
struction of  all  on  board  of  it.  Somerset's  men, 
who  had  been  stationed  at  some  distance  from 
the  landing  to  receive  Lady  Neville  and  convey 
her  home,  waited  until  long  past  the  appointed 
hour,  but  no  one  carne.  The  inquiries  which 
Somerset  made  secretly  the  next  day  showed 
that  the  boat  had  sailed  from  the  village,  but 
no  tidings  of  her  arrival  in  London  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  he  supposed  that  she  must  have 
been  lost,  with  all  on  board,  by  some  accident 
on  the  river.  As  for  the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  Lady 
Neville's  father,  Gloucester  went  to  him  at  once, 
and  informed  him  what  he  had  done.  He  had 
detected  his  daughter,  he  said,  in  a  guilty  in- 
trigue, which,  if  it  had  been  made  public,  would 
have  brought  not  only  herself,  but  all  her  fam- 
ily, to  shame.  The  earl,  who  was  a  man  of 
great  sternness  and  severity  of  character,  said 
that  Gloucester  had  done  perfectly  right,  and 
they  agreed  together  to  keep  the  whole  trans- 
action secret  from  the  world,  and  to  circulate  a 
report  that  Lady  Neville  had  died  from  some 
natural  cause. 


1445.]  PLOTTINGS.  145 


Arrival  in  London.  The  queen  and  Henry. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  when  Margaret 
and  Lady  Neville  arrived  in  London.  As  soon 
as  the  queen  became  somewhat  established  in 
her  new  home,  she  began  to  revolve  in  her  mind 
"he  means  of  deposing  Gloucester.  Her  plan 
was  first  to  endeavor  to  arouse  her  husband 
from  his  lethargy,  and  to  awaken  in  his  mind 
something  like  a  spirit  of  independence  and  a 
feeling  of  ambition. 

"  You  have  in  your  hands,"  she  used  to  say 
to  him,  "  what  may  be  easily  made  Ae  founda- 
tion of  the  noblest  realm  in  Europe.  Besides 
Great  Britain,  you  have  the  whole  of  Norman- 
dy, and  other  valuable  possessions  in  France, 
which  together  form  a  vast  kingdom,  in  the 
government  of  which  you  might  acquire  great 
glory,  if  you  would  take  the  government  of  it 
into  your  own  hands." 

She  went  on  to  represent  to  him  how  un- 
worthy it  was  of  him  to  allow  all  the  power  of 
such  a  realm  to  be  wielded  by  his  uncle,  in- 
stead of  assuming  the  command  at  once  himself, 
as  every  consideration  of  prudence  and  policy 
urged  him  to  do.  A  great  many  instances  had 
occurred  in  English  history,  she  said,  in  which 
a  favorite  minister  had  been  allowed  to  hold 
power  so  long,  and  to  strengthen  himself  in  the 
possession  of  it  so  completely,  that  he  could  not 

20—10 


146         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1445. 

Margaret's  arguments.  The  example  of  ancestors. 

be  divested  of  it,  so  that  the  king  himself  came 
at  length  to  be  held  in  subjection  by  his  own 
minister.  The  Duke  of  Gloucester  was  ad- 
vancing rapidly  in  the  same  course ;  and,  unless 
the  king  aroused  himself  from  his  inaction,  and 
took  the  government  into  his  own  hands,  he 
would  soon  lose  all  power  to  do  it,  and  would 
sink  into  a  condition  of  humiliating  dependence 
upon  one  of  his  own  subjects. 

Then,  again,  she  urged  upon  him  at  other 
times  the  example  of  his  father  and  grandfa- 
ther, Henry  IV.  and  Henry  V.,  whose  reigns, 
through  the  personal  energy  and  prowess  which 
they  had  exhibited  in  strengthening  and  ex- 
tending their  dominions,  had  given  them  a 
world-wide  renown.  It  would  be  extremely 
inglorious  for  the  descendant  of  such  a  line  to 
spend  his  life  in  spiritless  inactivity,  and  to 
leave  the  affairs  of  his  kingdom  in  the  hands 
of  a  relative,  who  of  course  could  only  be  ex- 
pected to  exercise  his  powers  for  the  purpose 
of  promoting  his  own  interest  and  glory. 

Moreover,  she  reminded  him  of  a  danger  that 
he  was  in  from  the  representations  of  other 
branches  of  the  royal  line  who  still  claimed  the 
throne,  and  might  at  any  time,  whenever  an 
opportunity  offered,  be  expected  to  attempt  to 
enforce  their  claims.  As  will  be  seen  by  the 


1445.]  PLOTTINGS.  147 

Anne.  House  of  York.  The  king  not  safe. 

genealogical  table,*  Lionel,  the  second  son  of 
Edward  III. — whose  immediate  descendants 
had  been  superseded  by  those  of  John  of  Gaunt, 
the  third  son,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  the 
only  child  of  Lionel  was  a  daughter,  and  she 
had  been  unable  to  make  good  her  claims — had 
a  great-granddaughter,  named  Anne,  who  mar- 
ried Eichard,  a  son  of  Edmund,  the  fourth  of 
the  sons  of  Edward  Ill.f  Richard  Plantagenet, 
who  issued  from  this  union,  was,  of  course,  the 
descendant  and  heir  of  Lionel.  He  had  also 
other  claims  to  the  throne,  and  Margaret  re- 
minded her  husband  that  there  was  danger  at 
any  time  that  he  might  come  forward  and  as- 
sert his  claims. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  evident, 
said  she,  that  the  king  could  not  consider  his 
interests  safe  in  the  care  of  any  person  whatso- 
ever out  of  his  own  immediate  family — that  is, 
in  any  one's  hands  but  his  own  and  those  of 
his  wife.  A  minister,  however  strong  his  pro- 
fessions of  fidelity  and  attachment  might  be, 
could  not  be  depended  upon.  If  another  dy- 
nasty offered  him  more  advantageous  terms, 
there  was  not,  and  there  could  not  be,  any  secu- 

*  On  page  20. 

t  That  is,  the  fourth  of  the  table.  There  were  other  chfl- 
dren  not  mentioned  here. 


MARGARET  OF  AXJOU.     [1445. 

Margaret  makes  some  impression.  Henry  listens  to  her  counsels. 

rity  against  his  changing  sides ;  whereas  a  wife, 
whose  interests  were  bound  up  inseparably  with 
those  of  her  husband,  might  be  relied  upon 
with  absolute  certainty  to  be  faithful  and  true 
to  her  husband  in  every  conceivable  emergency. 

These  representations  which  Margaret  made 
to  her  husband  from  time  to  time,  as  she  had 
opportunity,  produced  a  very  considerable  im- 
pression upon  him.  Still  he  seemed  not  to  have 
resolution  and  energy  enough  to  act  in  accord- 
ance with  them.  He  said  that  he  did  not  see 
how  he  could  take  away  from  his  uncle  a  power 
which  he  had  always  exercised  well  and  faith- 
fully. And  then,  besides,  he  himself  had  not 
the  age  and  experience  necessary  for  the  suc- 
cessful management  of  the  affairs  of  so  mighty 
a  kingdom.  If  he  were  to  undertake  the  duties 
of  government,  he  was  convinced  that  he  should 
make  mistakes,  and  so  get  into  difficulty. 

Margaret,  however,  clearly  perceived  that 
she  was  making  progress  in  producing  an  im- 
pression upon  her  husband's  mind.  To  increase 
the  influence  of  her  representations,  she  watched 
for  occasions  in  which  Gloucester  differed  in 
opinion  from  the  king,  and  failed  to  carry  out 
suggestions  or  recommendations  which  the  king 
had  made,  relating  probably,  in  most  cases,  to 
appointments  to  office  about  the  court.  Some 


1446.]  PLOTTINGS.  149 

Henry's  timidity.  Margaret  encourages  him. 

say  she  created  these  occasions  by  artfully  in- 
ducing her  husband  to  make  recommendations 
which  she  knew  the  duke  would  not  sanction. 
At  all  events,  such  cases  occurred,  and  Marga- 
ret took  advantage  of  them  to  urge  her  views 
still  more  upon  Henry's  mind. 

"How  humiliating,"  said  she,  "that  a  great 
monarch  should  be  dependent  upon  one  of  his 
subjects  for  permission  to  do  this  or  that,  when 
he  might  have  all  his  affairs  under  his  own  ab- 
solute control !" 

But  Henry,  in  reply  to  this,  said  that  it  was 
not  in  human  nature  to  escape  mistakes,  and 
he  thought  he  was  very  fortunate  in  having  a 
minister  who,  when  he  was  in  danger  of  mak- 
ing them,  could  interpose  and  save  him  from 
the  ill  consequences  which  would  otherwise 
result  from  his  errors. 

To  this  Margaret  rejoined  that  it  was  indeed 
true  that  human  nature  was  liable  to  err,  but 
that  it  was  very  humiliating  for  a  great  and 
powerful  sovereign  to  have  public  attention 
called  to  his  errors  by  having  them  corrected 
in  that  manner  by  an  inferior,  and  to  be  re- 
stricted in  the  exercise  of  his  powers  by  a  tutor 
and  a  governor,  in  order  to  keep  him  from  do- 
ing wrong,  as  if  he  were  a  child  not  competent 
to  act  for  himself. 


150         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1446. 

The  world  indulgent  to  the  great.  Margaret's  secret  designs. 

"Besides,"  she  added,  "if  you  would  really 
take  the  charge  of  your  affairs  into  your  own 
hands  and  act  independently,  what  you  call 
your  errors  you  may  depend  upon  it  the  pub- 
lic would  designate  by  a  different  and  a  softer 
name.  The  world  is  always  disposed  to  con- 
sider what  is  done  by  a  great  and  powerful 
monarch  as  of  course  right,  and  even  when  it 
would  seem  to  them  wrong  they  believe  that 
its  having  that  appearance  is  only  because  they 
are  not  in  a  position  to  form  a  just  judgment 
on  the  question,  not  being  fully  acquainted 
with  the  facts,  or  not  seeing  all  the  bearings  of 
them." 

She  assured  her  husband,  moreover,  that  if 
he  would  take  the  business  of  the  government 
into  his  own  hands,  he  would  be  very  success- 
ful in  his  administration  of  public  affairs,  and 
would  be  well  sustained  by  all  the  people  of 
the  realm. 

Besides  thus  operating  upon  the  mind  of  the 
king,  Margaret  was  secretly  employed  all  the 
time  in  ascertaining  the  views  and  feelings  of 
the  principal  nobles  and  other  great  person- 
ages of  the  realm,  with  a  view  to  learning  who 
were  disposed  to  feel  hostile  to  the  duke,  and 
to  unite  all  such  into  an  organized  opposition 
to  him.  One  of  the  first  persons  to  whom  she 


1446.]  PLOTTINGS.  151 

Opposition  to  the  Duke  of  Gloucester.  Somerset. 

applied  with  this  view  was  Somerset,  the  for- 
mer lover  of  Lady  Neville. 

She  presumed,  of  course,  that  Somerset  would 
be  predisposed  to  a  feeling  of  hostility  to  the 
duke  on  account  of  the  old  rivalry  which  had 
existed  between  them,  and  she  now  proposed 
to  make  use  of  Lady  Neville's  return,  and  of 
her  agency  in  restoring  her  to  him,  as  a  means 
of  inducing  him  to  enter  fully  into  her  plans 
for  overturning  his  old  rival's  power.  In  order 
to  retain  the  management  of  the  affair  wholly 
in  her  own  hands,  she  agreed  with  Lady  Nev- 
ille that  Lady  Neville  herself  was  not  in  any 
way  to  communicate  with  Somerset  until  she, 
the  queen,  had  first  had  an  interview  with  him, 
and  that  he  was  to  learn  the  safety  of  Lady 
Neville  only  through  her.  Lady  Neville  read- 
ily consented  to  this,  believing  that  the  queen 
could  manage  the  matter  better  than  she  her- 
self could  do  it. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  Somerset  was  mar- 
ried during  the  period  of  his  former  acquaint- 
ance with  Lady  Neville,  but  his  wife  had  died 
while  Lady  Neville  was  in  France,  and  he  was 
now  free ;  so  that  the  plan  which  the  queen 
and  Lady  Neville  now  formed  was  to  give  him 
an  opportunity,  if  he  still  retained  his  love  for 
her,  to  make  her  his  wife. 


152          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1446. 

A  secret  interview  planned.  The  three  conditions. 

In  the  prosecution  of  her  design,  the  queen 
made  arrangements  for  a  secret  interview  with 
Somerset,  and  in  the  interview  informed  him 
that  Lady  Neville  was  still  alive  and  well ;  that 
she  was,  moreover,  not  far  away,  and  it  was  in 
the  queen's  power  to  restore  her  to  him  if  he 
desired  again  to  see  her,  and  that  she  would  do 
so  on  certain  conditions. 

Somerset  was  overjoyed  at  hearing  this  news. 
At  first  he  could  not  be  persuaded  that  it  was 
true;  and  when  assured  positively  that  it  was 
so,  and  that  the  long-lost  Lady  Neville  was 
alive  and  well,  and  in  England,  he  was  in  a 
fever  of  impatience  to  see  her  again.  He  would 
agree  to  any  conditions,  he  said,  that  the  queen 
might  name,  as  the  price  of  having  her  restored 
to  him. 

The  queen  said  that  the  conditions  were 
three. 

The  first  was  that  he  was  to  see  her  but 
once,  and  that  only  for  a  few  minutes,  in  order 
that  he  might  be  convinced  that  she  was  really 
alive,  and  then  was  to  leave  her  and  not  to  see 
her  again  until  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  had 
fallen  from  power. 

The  second  was  that  he  should  pretend  to  be 
not  on  good  terms  with  the  queen  herself,  in 
order  to  avert  suspicion  in  respect  to  some  of 


1446.]  PLOTTIXGS.  153 

Party  against  Gloucester.         The  interview.         Lady  Neville's  father. 

her  schemes  until  such  time  as  she  should  be 
ready  to  receive  him  again  into  favor. 

The  third  was  that  he  should  do  all  he  could 
to  increase  and  strengthen  the  party  against  the 
duke,  by  turning  as  many  as  possible  of  his 
friends,  and  those  over  whom  he  had  any  influ- 
ence, against  him,  and  then  finally,  when  the 
party  should  become  sufficiently  strong,  to  pre- 
fer charges  against  him  in  Parliament,  and 
bring  him  to  trial. 

Somerset  at  once  agreed  to  all  these  condi- 
tions, and  the  queen  then  admitted  him  to  an 
interview  with  Lady  Neville. 

He  was  overwhelmed  with  transports  of  love 
and  joy  at  once  more  beholding  her  and  press- 
ing her  in  his  arms.  The  queen,  who  was  pres- 
ent, was  very  much  interested  in  witnessing 
the  proofs  of  the  ardor  of  the  affection  by  which 
the  lovers  were  still  bound  to  each  other,  but 
she  soon  interrupted  their  expressions  and  dem- 
onstrations ol  delight  by  calling  Somerset's  at- 
tention to  the  steps  which  were  next  to  be 
taken  to  further  their  plans. 

"  The  first  thing  to  be  done,"  said  she,  "  is 
for  you  to  see  the  Earl  of  Salisbury  and  ask 
the  hand  of  his  daughter,  and  at  the  same  time 
endeavor  to  induce  him  to  join  our  party." 

The  Earl  of  Salisbury  had  a  son,  the  broth- 


154         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU.     [1446. 

The  Earl  of  Salisbury.  Progress  of  the  intrigue.  Revelations. 

er,  of  course,  of  Lady  Neville,  whose  title  was 
the  Earl  of  Warwick.  He  was  the  celebrated 
king-maker,  so  called,  referred  to  in  a  former 
chapter.  He  received  that  title  on  account  of 
the  great  influence  which  he  subsequently  ex- 
ercised in  raising  up  and  putting  down  one 
after  another  of  the  two  great  dynasties.  His 
power  was  at  this  time  very  great,  partly  on 
account  of  his  immense  wealth,  and  partly  on 
account  of  his  commanding  personal  character. 
Margaret  was  extremely  desirous  of  bringing 
him  over  to  her  side. 

Somerset  readily  undertook  the  duty  of  com- 
municating  with  the  Earl  of  Salisbury,  with  a 
view  of  informing  him  of  his  daughter's  safety 
and  asking  her  hand,  and  at  the  same  time  of 
ascertaining  what  hope  there  might  be  of  draw- 
ing him  into  the  combination  which  the  queen 
was  forming  against  the  Duke  of  Gloucester. 

Somerset  accordingly  sought  an  interview 
with  Salisbury,  and  told  him  that  the  report 
which  had  been  circulated  that  his  daughter 
was  dead  was  not  true — that  she  was  still  alive 
— that,  instead  of  having  been  drowned  in  the 
Thames,  as  had  been  supposed,  she  had  made 
her  escape  to  France,  where  she  had  since  lived 
under  the  protection  of  the  dauphiness. 

He  was,  of  course,  not  willing  to  make  known 


1446.]  PLOTTINGS.  155 

The  case  explained.  Somerset's  proposal.  Cautioua  advances. 

the  real  circumstances  of  the  case  in  respect  to 
the  cause  of  her  flight,  and  so  he  represented 
to  the  earl  that  the  reason  why  she  left  the 
country  was  to  escape  the  marriage  with  Glou- 
cester, which  would  have  been  extremely  dis- 
agreeable to  her.  She  had  now,  however,  re- 
turned, and  he  was  commissioned  by  her  to 
ask  the  earl's  forgiveness  for  what  had  passed, 
and  his  consent  that  he  himself — that  is,  Somer- 
set, who  had  always  been  strongly  attached  to 
her,  and  who  now,  by  the  death  of  his  former 
wife,  was  free,  should  be  united  to  her  in  mar- 
riage. 

If  Somerset  had  succeeded  in  this  part  of  his 
mission,  he  was  then  intending,  when  the  old 
earl's  love  for  his  daughter  should  have  been 
reawakened  in  his  bosom  by  the  joyful  news 
that  she  was  alive,  and  by  the  prospect  of  a 
brilliant  marriage  for  her,  to  introduce  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  and  perhaps 
cautiously  reveal  to  him  the  true  state  of  the 
case  in  respect  to  the  murderous  violence  with 
which  the  duke  had  assailed  his  daughter,  and 
which  was  the  true  cause  of  her  flight.  But 
the  earl  did  not  give  him  any  opportunity  to 
approach  the  second  part  of  his  commission. 
After  having  heard  the  statement  which  Som- 
erset made  to  him  in  respect  to  his  daughter, 


156         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1446. 

The  earl's  indignation.  The  scheme  fails. 

he  broke  out  in  a  furious  rage  against  her. 
He  called  her  by  the  most  opprobrious  names. 
He  had  full  proof  of  her  dishonor,  and  he  would 
have  nothing  more  to  do  with  her.  He  had 
disinherited  her,  and  given  all  her  share  of  the 
family  property  to  her  brother;  and  the  only 
reason  why  he  ever  wished  her  to  come  into 
his  sight  again  was  that  he  might  with  a  surer 
blow  inflict  upon  her  the  punishment  which 
Gloucester  had  designed  for  her. 

Somerset  saw  at  once  that  the  case  was 
hopeless,  and  he  withdrew. 

Thus  the  attempt  to  draw  Salisbury  into  the 
conspiracy  against  the  duke  seemed  for  the 
time  to  fail.  But  Margaret  was  not  at  all  dis- 
couraged. She  pushed  her  manoeuvres  and 
intrigues  in  other  quarters  with  so  much  dili- 
gence  and  success  that,  in  about  two  years  aftei 
her  arrival  in  England,  she  found  her  party 
large  enough  and  strong  enough  for  action. 


1446.]  THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER.  157 

The  king's  cabinet.  Gloucester  sent  for.  Fntranee  of  Soirerset. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER. 

AT  length  the  time  arrived  when  Margaret 
considered  her  schemes  ripe  for  execu- 
tion. 

Accordingly,  one  day,  while  Henry  and  her- 
self v/ere  together  in  the  king's  cabinet  engaged 
in  transacting  some  public  affairs,  Margaret 
made  some  excuse  for  sending  for  Gloucester, 
and  while  Gloucester  was  in  the  cabinet,  Som- 
erset, according  to  a  preconcerted  arrangement, 
presented  himself  at  the  door  with  an  air  of 
excitement  and  alarm,  and  asked  to  be  admit- 
ted. He  wished  to  see  the  king  on  business  of 
the  utmost  urgency.  He  was  allowed  to  come 
in.  He  had  a  paper  in  his  hand,  and  his  coun- 
tenance, as  well  as  his  air  and  manner,  denoted 
great  apprehension  and  anxiety.  As  soon, 
however,  as  he  saw  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  he 
seemed  surprised  and  embarrassed,  and  was 
about  to  retire,  saying  he  had  supposed  that 
the  king  and  queen  were  alone. 

But  Margaret  would  not  allow  him  to  with- 
draw. 

"  Stay,"  said  she,  "  and  let  us  know  what  the 


158          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1446. 

Somerset's  charges.  Margaret  interposes.  The  charges  read. 

business  is  that  seems  so  urgent.  You  can 
speak  freely.  There  is  no  one  here  beside  our- 
selves except  the  minister  of  the  king,  and  there 
is  nothing  to  be  concealed  from  him." 

Somerset,  on  hearing  these  words,  paused  for 
a  moment,  looked  at  Gloucester,  seemed  irreso- 
lute, and  then,  as  if  nerving  himself  to  a  great 
effort,  he  advanced  resolutely  and  presented  the 
paper  which  he  had  in  his  hands  to  the  king, 
saying,  at  the  same  time,  in  a  very  solemn  man- 
ner, that  it  contained  charges  of  the  gravest 
character  against  Gloucester;  and  he  added 
that,  on  the  whole,  he  was  not  sorry  that  the 
accused  person  was  present  to  know  what  was 
laid  to  his  charge,  and  to  reply  if  he  had  any 
proper  justification  to  offer. 

The  duke  seemed  thunderstruck.  The  king, 
too,  was  extremely  surprised,  and  began  to  look 
greatly  embarrassed.  Margaret  put  an  end  to 
the  awkward  suspense  by  taking  the  paper  from 
the  king's  hand,  and  opening  it  in  order  to  read 
it 

"  Let  us  see,"  said  she,  "  what  these  charges 
are." 

So  she  opened  the  paper  and  began  to  read 
it.  The  charges  were  numerous.  The  princi- 
pal one  related  to  some  transactions  in  respect 
to  the  English  dominions  on  the  Continent,  in 


1446.]  THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER.  161 


The  duke  declares  his  innocence. 


which  Gloucester  was  accused  of  having  sac- 
rificed the  rights  and  interests  of  the  crown  in 
order  to  promote  certain  private  ends  of  his 
own.  There  were  a  great  many  other  accusa- 
tions, relating  to  alleged  usurpations  of  the  pre- 
rogative of  the  king  and  high-handed  violations 
of  the  laws  of  the  land.  Among  these  last  tlie 
murder  of  Lady  Neville  was  specified,  and  the 
deed  was  characterized  in  the  severest  terms  as 
i  crime  of  the  deepest  dye,  and  one  committed 
under  circumstances  of  great  atrocity,  although 
the  author  of  the  charges  admitted  that  the  de- 
tails of  the  affair  were  not  fully  known. 

As  Margaret  read  these  accusations  one  after 
another,  the  duke  affirmed  positively  of  each 
one  that  it  was  wholly  unjust.  He  seemed  for 
a  moment  surprised  and  confused  when  the 
murder  of  Lady  Neville  was  laid  to  his  charge, 
but  he  soon  recovered  himself,  and  declared 
that  he  was  innocent  of  this  crime  as  well  as 
of  all  the  others.  The  whole  series  of  accusa- 
tions was  a  tissue  of  base  calumnies,  he  said, 
from  beginning  to  end. 

Margaret  read  the  paper  through,  pausing 
only  from  time  to  time  to  hear  what  Gloucester 
had  to  say  whenever  he  manifested  a  desire  to 
speak,  but  without  making  any  observations  of 
uer  own.  She  assumed,  in  fact,  the  air  and 
20—11 


162         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1446. 

Margaret's  artful  demeanor.   Proposes  an  investigation.   Selects  a  charge 

manner  of  an  unconcerned  and  indifferent  wit- 
ness. After  she  had  finished  reading  the  pa- 
per she  folded  it  up  and  laid  it  aside,  saying  at 
the  same  time  to  the  king  that  those  were  very 
grave  and  weighty  charges,  and  it  would  be 
very  unjust  to  the  duke  to  receive  them  against 
his  positive  declarations  of  his  innocence,  with- 
out the  most  clear  and  conclusive  proof. 

"  At  the  same  time,"  she  added,  "they  ought 
not  to  be  lightly  laid  aside  without  investiga- 
tion. We  can  not  suppose  that  the  Duke  of 
Somerset  can  have  made  such  charges  without 
any  evidence  whatever  to  sustain  them." 

The  Duke  of  Somerset  said  immediately  that 
he  was  prepared  with  full  proof  of  all  the 
charges,  and  he  was  ready  to  offer  the  evidence 
in  respect  to  any  one  or  all  of  them  whenever 
his  majesty  should  require  it. 

Margaret  then  opened  the  paper,  and,  looking 
over  the  list  of  charges  again  with  a  careless 
air,  at  last,  as  if  accidentally,  fixed  upon  the  one 
relating  to  the  murder  of  Lady  Neville. 

"What  proofs  have  you  in  respect  to  this 
atrocious  murder  that  you  have  charged  against 
the  duke?" 

Gloucester  felt  for  the  moment  much  relieved 
at  finding  that  this  was  the  charge  selected  first 
for  proof;  for  so  effectual  had  been  the  precau- 


1446.]  THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER.  163 

Gloucester  is  pleased.  The  murder.  Astonishment  of  the  duke. 

tions  which  he  had  taken  to  conceal  his  crime 
in  this  case,  that  he  was  confident  that,  instead 
of  any  substantial  evidence  against  him,  thera 
could  be,  at  worst,  only  vague  grounds  of  sus* 
picion,  and  these  he  was  confident  he  could 
easily  show  were  insufficient  to  establish  so  se- 
rious a  charge. 

Somerset  asked  permission  to  retire  for  a  few 
moments.  Very  soon  he  returned,  bringing  in 
with  him  Lady  Neville  herself.  An  actual  res- 
urrection from  the  dead  could  not  have  astound- 
ed Gloucester  more  than  this  apparition.  He 
was  overwhelmed  with  amazement  and  almost 
with  terror.  Lady  Neville  advanced  to  the 
king,  and,  falling  upon  her  knees  before  him, 
she  related  the  circumstances  of  the  assault 
made  by  Gloucester  upon  the  boat  in  the 
Thames,  of  the  cruel  murder  of  the  passengers 
and  boatmen,  of  the  wound  inflicted  upon  her- 
self by  the  dagger  of  the  duke,  and  the  almost 
miraculous  manner  in  which  she  made  her  es- 
cape. 

The  duke,  overwhelmed  by  the  emotions 
which  such  a  scene  might  have  been  expected 
to  produce  upon  his  mind,  seemed  to  admit  that 
what  Lady  Neville  said  was  true.  At  least  he 
could  not  deny  it,  and  his  confusion  and  distress 
amounted  apparently  to  a  virtual  confession  of 


164         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1447. 

Parliament.  Margaret's  ingenuity.  The  king  brought  over. 

guilt.  Margaret,  however,  soon  interrupted  the 
proceedings  by  saying  to  the  king  that  the  case 
was  plainly  too  serious  to  be  disposed  of  in  so 
private  and  informal  a  manner.  It  was  for  the 
Parliament  to  consider  it,  she  said,  and  decide 
what  was  to  be  done ;  and  measures  ought  at 
once  to  be  taken  for  bringing  it  before  them. 

So  Gloucester  and  Somerset  were  both  dis- 
missed from  the  royal  presence,  leaving  the  king 
in  a  state  of  great  distress  and  perplexity. 

Such  is  the  story  of  the  private  manoeuvres 
resorted  to  by  Margaret  with  a  view  to  destroy- 
ing the  hold  which  the  Duke  of  Gloucester  had 
upon  the  mind  of  the  king,  preparatory  to  more 
widely-extended  plans  for  ruining  him  with  the 
Parliament  and  the  nation,  which  is  told  by  one 
of  her  most  celebrated  biographers.  Whether 
there  was  or  was  not  any  foundation  for  this  par- 
ticular story,  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  she  ex- 
ercised all  her  ingenuity  and  talent  as  a  manceu- 
vrer  to  accomplish  her  object,  and  that  she  suc- 
ceeded. The  king  was  brought  over  to  her 
views,  and  so  strong  a  party  was  formed  against 
Gloucester  among  the  nobles  and  other  influ- 
ential personages  in  the  land,  that  at  length,  in 
1447,  a  Parliament  was  summoned  with  a  view 
of  bringing  the  affair  to  a  crisis.* 

*  The  story  of  Lady  Neville,  and  of  her  connection  with 


1447.]  THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER.  165 

Treason.  Romance  often  mingles  in  history.  An  explanation. 

Nothing,  however,  was  said,  in  calling  the 
Parliament,  of  the  great  and  exciting  business 
which  was  to  be  brought  before  them.  So  great 
was  the  power  of  such  a  man  as  Gloucester,  that 
any  open  attempt  to  arrest  him  would  have 
been  likely  to  have  been  met  with  armed  re- 
sistance, and  might  have  led  at  once  to  civil 
war. 

One  of  the  charges  against  him  was  that  he 
was  intriguing  with  the  Duke  of  York,  the  rep- 
resentative and  heir  of  the  two  other  branches 
of  old  King  Edward  the  Third's  family,  who 
has  already  been  mentioned  as  claiming  the 

the  great  political  transactions  in  which  Margaret  of  Anjou 
was  engaged  at  this  time,  though  it  is  in  all  probability  to  be 
considered  as  a  romance,  is  not  an  invention  of  the  compiler 
of  this  narrative.  It  is  interwoven  with  the  history  of  Mar- 
garet of  Anjou  precisely  as  it  is  given  here,  by  one  of  her 
most  ancient  and  most  oft-quoted  biographers.  It  is  chiefly 
useful  to  modern  readers  as  illustrating  the  ideas  and  the 
manners  of  the  times. 

We  often,  in  this  series,  thus  repeat  narratives  which  have 
come  down  from  ancient  times,  and  have  thus  become  part 
and  parcel  of  the  literature  of  the  period,  and,  as  such,  ought 
to  be  made  known  to  the  general  reader,  but  which,  at  the 
present  day,  are  not  supposed  to  be  historically  true.  In  such 
cases,  however,  we  intend  always  to  give  notice  of  the  fact. 
In  the  absence  of  such  notice,  the  reader  may  feel  sure  that 
all  the  statements  jr.  these  narratives,  even  to  the  minutest 
details,  are  in  strict  accordance  with  the  testimony  of  the  best 
authorities  now  extant. 


166         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1447. 

Question  of  succession.  Position  of  the  Duke  of  York. 

throne.  It  was  said  that  Gloucester  was  secret- 
ly plotting  with  Kichard,  with  a  view  of  depos- 
ing Henry,  and  raising  Kichard  to  the  throne  in 
his  stead. 

The  question  of  the  succession  was  really,  at 
this  time,  in  a  very  curious  state.  The  Duke 
of  Gloucester  himself  was  Henry's  heir  in  case 
he  should  die  without  children ;  for  Gloucester 
was  Henry's  oldest  uncle,  and,  of  course,  in  de- 
fault of  his  descendants,  the  crown  would  go 
back  to  him.  This  was  one  reason,  perhaps, 
why  he  had  opposed  Henry's  marriage. 

So  long,  therefore,  as  Henry  remained  un- 
married, it  was  for  Gloucester's  interest  to  main- 
tain the  rights  of  his  branch  of  the  family — that 
is,  the  Lancaster  line — against  the  claims  of  the 
house  of  York.  But  in  case  Henry  should 
have  children,  then  he  would  be  cut  off  from 
the  succession  on  the  Lancaster  side,  and  then 
it  might  be  for  his  interest  to  espouse  the  cause 
of  the  house  of  York,  provided  he  could  make 
better  terms  in  respect  to  his  own  position  and 
the  rewards  which  he  was  to  receive  for  his 
services  on  that  side  than  on  the  other. 

Now  Henry  was  married,  and,  moreover,  it 
had  long  been  evident  to  Gloucester  that  his 
own  influence  was  fast  declining.  The  scene  in 
the  king's  cabinet,  when  Somerset  brought  those 


1447.]  THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER.  167 

Gloucester  alarmed.         Calling  of  Parliament.         Bury  St.  Edmund's. 

charges  against  him,  must  have  greatly  increased 
his  fears  in  respect  to  the  continuance  of  his 
power  under  Henry's  government.  Still,  if  it 
was  true  that  he  was  contemplating  making 
common  cause  with  the  Duke  of  York,  he  had 
not  yet  so  far  matured  his  plans  as  to  make  any 
open  change  in  his  course  of  conduct. 

Accordingly,  when  the  plan  of  calling  a  Par- 
liament was  determined  by  the  king  and  Mar- 
garet, every  effort  was  made  to  keep  it  a  secret 
from  the  public  that  the  case  of  Gloucester  was 
to  be  brought  before  it.  It  was  summoned  on 
other  pretexts.  The  place  of  meeting  was  not, 
as  usual,  at  London,  for  Gloucester  was  so  great 
a  favorite  with  the  people  of  London  that  it 
was  thought  that,  if  it  were  to  be  attempted  tc 
arrest  him  there,  he  would  certainly  resist  ana 
attempt  to  raise  an  insurrection. 

The  Parliament  was  accordingly  summoned 
to  meet  at  Bury  St.  Edmund's — a  town  situated 
about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  to  the  northeast  of 
London,  where  there  was  a  celebrated  abbey.* 
The  English  Parliament  was  in  those  days,  as 
it  is,  in  fact,  in  theory  now,  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  a  convocation  of  the  leading  person- 
ages of  the  realm,  called  by  the  king,  in  order 
that  they  might  give  the  monarch  their  counsel 
*  See  map. 


168         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1447. 

The  abbey.  The  duke  arrested. 

or  aid  in  any  emergency  that  might  arise,  and 
he  could  call  them  to  attend  him  at  any  place 
within  the  kingdom  that  he  chose  to  designate. 

While  thus,  by  summoning  Parliament  to 
meet  at  Bury  St.  Edmund's,  the  queen's  par- 
ty placed  themselves  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
friends  and  adherents  of  Gloucester,  who  were 
very  numerous  in  and  around  the  capital,  they 
took  care  to  have  a  strong  force  there  on  their 
own  side,  ready  to  do  whatever  might  be  re- 
quired of  them. 

When  the  appointed  day  arrived  the  Parlia- 
ment assembled.  It  met  in  the  abbey.  The 
great  dining-hall  of  the  abbey,  or  the  refectory, 
as  it  vas  called,  the  room  in  which  the  monks 
were  accustomed  to  take  their  meals,  was  fitted 
up  for  their  reception.  On  the  first  day  some 
ordinary  business  was  transacted,  and  on  the 
second,  suddenly,  and  without  any  previous 
warning,  the  duke  was  arrested  by  the  public 
officer,  who  was  attended  and  aided  in  this  serv 
ice  by  a  strong  force,  and  immediately  taken 
away  to  the  Tower. 

This  event,  of  course,  produced  great  excite- 
ment. The  news  of  it  spread  rapidly  through- 
out the  kingdom,  and  it  awakened  universal 
astonishment  and  alarm. 

It  was  expected  that  charges  would  be  im- 


1447.]  THE  FALL  OF  GLOUCESTER.  169 


Discontents  of  the  people. 


mediately  brought  against  him,  and  that  he 
would  be  at  once  arraigned  for  trial.  But  the 
excitement  which  the  affair  had  created  was  in- 
creased to  a  ten -fold  degree  by  the  tidings  which 
were  circulated  a  few  days  afterward  that  he 
was  dead.  The  story  was  that  he  was  found 
dead  one  morning  in  his  prison.  People,  how- 
ever, were  slow  to  believe  this  statement.  They 
thought  that  he  had  been  poisoned,  or  put  to 
death  in  some  other  violent  manner.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  government  declared  that  it  was  not 
so ;  and,  in  order  to  convince  the  people  that 
the  duke  had  died  a  natural  death,  they  caused 
the  body  to  be  exposed  to  public  view  for  sev- 
eral days  before  they  allowed  it  to  be  interred, 
in  order  that  all  might  see  that  it  bore  no 
marks  of  violence. 

The  people  were,  however,  not  satisfied. 
They  thought  that  there  were  many  ways  by 
which  death  might  be  produced  without  leav- 
ing any  outward  indications  of  violence  upon 
the  person.  They  persisted  in  believing  that 
their  favorite  had  been  murdered. 

One  account  which  was  given  of  the  mode 
of  death  was  that  Somerset  went  to  visit  him 
in  his  prison  in  the  Tower,  in  order  to  see 
whether  he  could  not  come  to  some  terms  with 
him.  but  that  Gloucester  rejected  his  advances 


170         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1449. 


Supposed  mode  of  his  death. 


with  so  much  pride  and  scorn  that  a  furious  al- 
tercation arose,  in  the  course  of  which  Somer- 
set, with  the  assistance  of  men  whom  he  had 
brought  with  him,  strangled  or  suffocated  the 
unhappy  prisoner  on  his  couch,  and  then,  after 
arranging  his  limbs  and  closing  his  eyes,  so  as 
to  give  him  the  appearance  of  being  in  a  state 
of  slumber,  his  murderers  went  away  and  left 
him,  to  be  found  in  that  condition  by  the  jailer 
when  he  should  come  to  bring  him  his  food. 


1449.]    THE  FALL  OF  SUFFOLK.        171 

Two  years  pass  away.  Suspicious  of  the  people. 


CHAPTER  XL 
THE  FALL  OF  SUFFOLK. 

AFTER  the  death  of  the  Duke  of  Glouces- 
ter, Queen  Margaret  was  plunged  in  a 
perfect  sea  of  plots,  schemes,  manoeuvres,  and 
machinations  of  all  sorts,  which  it  would  take 
a  volume  fully  to  unravel.  This  state  of  things 
continued  for  two  years,  during  which  time  she 
became  more  and  more  involved  in  the  difficul- 
ties and  complications  which  surrounded  her, 
until  at  last  she  found  herself  in  very  serious 
trouble.  I  can  only  here  briefly  allude  to  the 
more  prominent  sources  of  her  perplexity. 

In  the  first  place,  the  people  of  England  were 
very  seriously  displeased  at  the  treatment  which 
Gloucester  had  received.  They  would  not  be- 
lieve that  he  died  a  natural  death,  and  the  im- 
pression gained  ground  very  generally  that  the 
queen  was  the  cause  of  his  being  murdered. 
They  did  not  suppose  that  she  literally  ordered 
him  to  be  put  to  death,  but  that  she  gave  hints 
or  intimations,  as  royal  personages  were  accus- 
tomed to  do  in  such  cases  in  those  days,  on 
which  some  zealous  and  unscrupulous  followei 


172          MARGARET  OF  ANJOTJ.      [1449. 

Their  hearts  alienated.         Reverses  in  France.         Feeling  in  England. 

ventured  to  act,  certain  of  pleasing  her.  As 
Gloucester  had  been  a  general  favorite  with 
the  nation,  these  rumors  and  suspicions  tended 
greatly  to  alienate  the  hearts  of  the  people 
from  the  queen.  Many  began  to  hate  her. 
They  called  her  the  French  woman,  and  vented 
their  ill-will  in  obscure  threats  and  mutterings. 
This  feeling  of  hostility  to  the  queen  was  in- 
creased by  the  very  unfortunate  turn  that  things 
were  taking  in  France  about  this  time.  The 
provinces  of  Maine  and  Anjou  lay  directly  to 
the  south  of  Normandy,*  which  last  was  the 
most  valuable  of  the  possessions  which  the  En- 
glish crown  held  in  France,  and  these  two  prov- 
inces had  been  given  up  to  the  French  at  the 
time  of  Margaret's  marriage.  It  was  only  on 
condition  that  the  English  would  give  them  up 
that  Lord  Suffolk  could  induce  Margaret's  fa- 
ther to  consent  to  the  match.  Suffolk  was  ex- 
tremely unwilling  to  surrender  these  provinces. 
He  knew  that  the  English  nobles  and  people 
would  be  very  much  dissatisfied  as  soon  as 
they  learned  that  it  was  done,  and  he  feared 
that  he  might  at  some  future  day  be  called  to 
account  for  having  been  concerned  in  the  trans- 
action. But  the  king  was  so  deeply  in  love 
with  Margaret  that  he  insisted  on  Suffolk's 

*  See  map  at  the  commencement  of  the  volume. 


1449.]    THE  FALL  OF  SUFFOLK.        173 

York  regent  in  France.  Somerset.  Suffolk's  intentions. 

complying  with  the  terms  which  were  exacted 
by  her  friends,  and  the  provinces  were  ceded. 

The  Duke  of  York  was  regent  in  France  at 
that  time,  but  Margaret  felt  some  uneasiness  in 
respect  to  his  position  there.  He  was  the  rep- 
resentative and  heir  of  the  rival  line ;  and  while 
it  was  for  her  interest  to  give  him  prominence 
enough  under  Henry's  government  to  prevent 
his  growing  discontented  and  desperate,  it  was 
not  good  policy  to  exalt  him  to  too  high  a  po- 
sition. She  was  accordingly  somewhat  at  a 
loss  to  decide  what  to  do. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Gloucester,  Somerset, 
finding  that  he  was  an  object  of  suspicion,  felt 
himself  to  be  in  danger,  and  he  proposed  to 
Margaret  that  he  should  retire  into  Normandy 
for  a  time.  Margaret  suggested  that  he  should 
take  the  regency  of  Normandy  in  the  Duke  of 
York's  stead.  To  this  he  finally  consented. 
The  Duke  of  York  was  recalled,  and  Somerset 
went  to  take  command  of  Normandy  in  his 
stead. 

At  the  time  that  Suffolk  negotiated  the  mar- 
riage contract  between  Henry  and  Margaret,  a 
truce  had  been  made  with  the  King  of  France, 
as  has  already  been  stated.  Suffolk  intended 
and  hoped  to  conclude  a  permanent  peace,  but 
he  could  not  succeed  in  accomplishing  this. 


174         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1449. 

Expoeed  frontier.  Pretext  for  wae. 

The  King  of  France,  as  soon  as  the  marriage 
was  fairly  carried  into  effect,  seemed  bent  on 
renewing  hostilities,  and  as  he  had  now  the 
territories  of  Maine  and  Anjou  in  his  posses- 
sion,  with  all  the  castles  and  fortresses  which 
those  provinces  contained,  he  could  advance  to 
the  frontiers  of  Normandy  on  that  side  with 
great  facility,  and  organize  expeditions  for  in- 
vading the  country  in  the  most  effective  man- 
ner. 

He  now  only  wanted  a  pretext,  and  a  pre- 
text in  such  cases  is  always  soon  found.  A 
certain  company  of  soldiers,  who  had  been  dis- 
missed from  some  place  in  Maine  in  consequence 
of  the  cession  of  that  province  to  France,  instead 
of  going  across  the  frontier  into  Normandy  to 
join  the  English  forces  there,  as  they  ought  to 
have  done,  went  into  Brittany,  another  French 
province  near,  and  there  organized  themselves 
into  a  sort  of  band  of  robbers,  and  committed 
acts  of  plunder.  The  King  of  France  com- 
plained of  this  to  Somerset,  for  this  was  after 
Somerset  had  assumed  the  command  as  regent, 
or  governor  of  Normandy.  Somerset  admitted 
the  facts,  and  proposed  to  pay  damages.  The 
king  named  a  sum  so  great  that  Somerset  could 
not  or  would  not  pay  it,  and  so  war  was  again 
declared. 


1449.]     THE  FALL  OF   SUFFOLK.       177 

Invasion  of  Normandy.      Normandy  lost.      Rage  of  the  English  people. 

In  consequence  of  the  advantages  which  the 
King  of  France  enjoyed  in  having  possession 
of  Maine,  he  could  organize  his  invading  army 
in  a  very  effective  manner.  He  crossed  the 
frontier  in  great  force,  and  after  taking  a  num- 
ber of  towns  and  castles,  and  defeating  the  En- 
glish army  in  several  battles,  he  at  last  drove 
Somerset  into  Rouen,  the  capital  of  the  province 
— a  very  ancient  and  remarkable  town — and 
shut  him  up  there. 

After  a  short  siege  Rouen  was  compelled  to 
capitulate,  and,  besides  giving  up  Rouen,  Som- 
erset was  obliged  to  surrender  several  other 
important  castles  and  towns  in  order  to  obtain 
his  own  liberty. 

Things  went  on  in  this  way  during  the  year 
1449,  from  bad  to  worse,  until  finally  the  whole 
of  Normandy  was  lost.  The  town  of  Cherbourg, 
which  has  lately  become  so  renowned  on  ac- 
count of  the  immense  naval  and  military  works 
which  have  been  constructed  there,  was  the 
last  retreat  and  refuge  of  the  English,  and  even 
from  this  they  were  finally  expelled. 

The  people  of  England  were  in  a  great  rage. 
The  principal  object  of  their  resentment  was 
Lord  Suffolk,  who  was  now  the  first  minister 
and  the  acknowledged  head  of  the  govern- 
ment. During  the  progress  of  the  difficulties 
20-12 


178         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1449. 

The  minister  responsible.  Suffolk  in  danger. 

with  Gloucester,  Margaret  had  kept  him  a  great 
deal  in  the  background,  in  order  that  the  pub- 
lic might  not  associate  him  with  those  transac- 
tions, nor  hold  him  in  any  way  responsible  for 
them,  though  there  was  no  doubt  that  he  was 
the  queen's  confidential  friend  and  counselor 
through  the  whole.  After  the  death  of  Glou- 
cester he  had  been  gradually  brought  forward, 
and  he  had  now,  for  some  time,  been  the  ac- 
knowledged minister  of  the  crown,  and  as  such 
responsible,  according  to  the  theory  of  the  Brit- 
ish Constitution  and  to  the  ideas  of  English- 
men, for  every  thing  that  was  done,  and  espe- 
cially for  every  thing  like  misfortune  and  dis- 
aster which  occurred. 

There  was,  of  course,  a  great  outcry  raised 
against  Suffolk,  and  also,  more  covertly,  against 
the  queen,  who  had  brought  Suffolk  into  pow- 
er. All  the  mischief  originated,  too,  people 
said,  in  the  luckless  marriage  of  Margaret  to 
the  king,  and  the  cession  of  Maine  and  Anjou 
to  the  French  as  the  price  of  it.  The  French 
would  never  have  been  able  to  have  penetra- 
ted into  Normandy  had  it  not  been  for  the  ad- 
vantage they  gained  in  the  possession  of  those 
provinces  on  the  frontier. 

There  were  still  large  possessions  held  by 
the  English  in  the  southwestern  part  of  France 


1449.]    THE  FALL   OF  SUFFOLK.       181 

Guienne.  Bordeaux  lost.  Excitement  in  England. 

on  the  Garonne.  The  capital  of  this  territory, 
which  was  the  celebrated  province  of  Guienne, 
was  Bordeaux,*  a  large  and  important  city  in 
those  days  as  now.  It  stands  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  where  it  begins  to  widen  toward  the 
sea,  and  thus  it  was  accessible  to  the  English  in 
their  ships  as  well  as  when  coming  with  their 
armies  by  land.  It  was  a  place  of  great  strength 
as  well  as  of  commanding  position,  being  pro- 
vided with  castles  and  towers  to  defend  it  from 
the  landward  side,  and  thick  walls  and  power- 
ful batteries  along  the  margin  of  the  water. 

Suffolk  did  all  '"•"  his  power  to  raise  and  send 
off  re-enforcements  to  the  army  in  Guienne,  but 
it  was  in  vain.  The  English  were  driven  out 
of  one  town  and  castle  after  another,  until,  at 
last,  Bordeaux  itself  fell,  and  all  was  lost. 

The  resentment  and  rage  of  the  people  of 
England  now  knew  no  bounds.  Suffolk  was 
universally  denounced  as  the  author  of  all  these 
dire  calamities.  Lampoons  and  satires  were 
written  against  him ;  he  was  hooted  sometimes 
by  the  populace  of  London  when  he  appeared 
in  the  streets,  and  every  thing  portended  a 
gathering  storm.  At  length,  in  the  fall  of  1449, 
a  Parliament  was  summoned.  When  it  was 
convened,  Suffolk  appeared  in  the  House  of 

*  See  map. 


182         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1449. 

Braving  the  storm.  Accusations  made.  An  impeachment. 

Lords  as  usual,  and,  rising  in  his  place,  he  call- 
ed the  attention  of  the  peers  to  the  angry  and 
vindictive  denunciations  which  were  daily  heap- 
ed upon  him  by  the  public,  declaring  that  he 
was  wholly  ignorant  of  the  crimes  which  were 
laid  to  his  charge,  and  challenging  his  enemies 
to  bring  forward  any  proof  to  sustain  their  ac« 
cusations. 

A  spirit  of  bold  defiance  like  this  might  hare 
been  successful  in  some  cases,  perhaps,  in  driv- 
ing back  the  tide  of  hostility  and  hate  which 
was  rising  so  rapidly,  but  in  this  instance  it 
seemed  to  have  the  contrary  effect.  The  ene- 
mies of  Suffolk  in  the  House  of  Commons  took 
up  the  challenge  at  once.  They  were  strong 
enough  to  carry  the  house  with  them.  They 
passed  an  address  to  the  peers,  requesting  them 
to  cause  Suffolk  to  be  arrested  and  imprisoned. 
They  would,  they  said,  immediately  bring  for- 
ward the  proofs  of  his  guilt. 

The  Lords  replied  that  they  could  not  arrest 
and  imprison  one  of  their  number  except  upon 
specific  charges  made  against  him.  Where 
upon  the  Commons  very  promptly  prepared  a 
list  of  charges  and  sent  them  to  the  Lords.  On 
this  accusation  the  Lords  ordered  Suffolk  to  be 
arrested,  and  he  was  sent  to  the  Tower. 

During  the  two  months  that  succeeded  his 


1449.]    THE  FALL  OF  SUFFOLK.        183 

Suffolk  in  the  Tower.  He  ia  arraigned. 

arrest  his  enemies  were  busily  engaged  in  pre- 
paring the  bill  of  impeachment  against  him  in 
form,  and  collecting  the  evidence  by  which 
they  were  to  sustain  it,  while  the  queen  was 
equally  earnest  and  anxious  in  the  work  of 
contriving  means  to  save  him.  She  visited  him 
secretly,  it  is  said,  in  his  prison,  and  conferred 
with  him  on  the  plan  to  be  pursued.  They 
seem  to  have  been  both  convinced  that  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  remain  in  England  and 
ride  out  the  storm.  The  only  course  of  safety 
would  be  for  him  to  leave  the  country  for  a 
while,  provided  the  means  could  be  devised  for 
getting  him  away.  What  the  plan  was  which 
they  agreed  upon  for  accomplishing  this  pur- 
pose will  appear  in  the  sequel. 

At  length,  on  the  thirteenth  of  March,  he 
was  summoned  before  the  House  of  Lords,  and 
the  bill  of  impeachment  was  brought  forward. 
There  were  a  great  many  charges,  beginning 
with  that  of  having  wickedly  and  with  corrupt 
motives  surrendered,  and  so  lost  forever  to  the 
crown,  the  provinces  of  Maine  and  Anjou,  and 
going  on  to  numerous  accusations  of  malfeas- 
ance in  office,  of  encroachments  on  the  prerog- 
atives of  the  king,  and  of  acts  in  which  the  in- 
terest and  honor  of  the  country  had  been  sacri- 
ficed to  his  own  personal  ambition  or  private 


MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1449, 

Suffolk's  defense,       lie  appeals  to  the  king.       Sentence  of  banishment; 

ends.  Suffolk  defended  himself  in  a  general 
speech,  without,  however,  demanding,  as  he 
was  entitled  to  do,  a  formal  trial  by  his  peers. 
These  proceedings  occupied  several  days — aa 
long  as  any  lingering  hope  remained  in  Suf- 
folk's mind  of  his  being  able  to  stem  the  tor- 
rent. At  length,  however,  on  the  seventeenth 
of  March,  finding  that  the  pressure  against  him 
was  continually  increasing,  and  that  there  would 
be  no  chance  of  an  acquittal  if  he  were  to  claim 
a  trial,  he  appealed  to  the  king  to  decide  his 
case,  saying  that,  though  he  was  entirely  inno- 
cent of  the  crimes  charged  against  him,  he 
would  submit  himself  entirely  to  his  majesty's 
will. 

In  response  to  this  appeal,  the  king  declared, 
through  the  proper  officer,  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  that  he  would  not  decide  upon  the  ques- 
tion of  the  guilt  or  innocence  of  the  accused, 
since  he  had  not  demanded  a  trial,  but  he 
thought  it  best,  under  all  the  circumstances  of 
the  case,  that  Suffolk  should  leave  the  country. 
He  therefore  issued  a  decree  of  banishment 
against  him  for  five  years.  He  was  required 
to  leave  England  before  the  first  of  May,  and 
not  to  put  his  foot  upon  any  English  soil  until 
the  five  years  were  expired. 

The  Lords  were  much  displeased  at  having 


1449.]    THE  FALL  OF  SUFFOLK.        185 

The  people  enraged.  A  riot.  Suffolk  escapes  by  sea. 

the  affair  thus  taken  out  of  their  hands.  They 
made  a  formal  protest  against  this  decision,  but 
they  could  do  nothing  more.  The  people,  too, 
were  very  much  enraged.  They  declared  that 
Suffolk  should  never  leave  London  alive  ;  and 
on  the  day  when  they  expected  that  he  was  to 
be  taken  from  the  Tower  to  be  conveyed  to 
France,  a  mob  of  two  thousand  men  collected 
in  the  streets,  resolved  to  kill  him. 

But  the  queen  devised  means  for  enabling 
him  to  evade  them.  Some  of  his  servants  and 
followers  were  seized,  but  he  succeeded  in  mak- 
ing his  escape,  and,  after  going  to  his  castle  in 
the  country,  and  making  some  hurried  arrange- 
ments there,  he  went  down  to  the  sea-coast  at 
Ipswich,  a  town  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  isl- 
and, and  there  embarked  for  France  in  a  vessel 
which  the  queen  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
have  ready  there  for  him. 

The  vessel  immediately  sailed,  steering  to  the 
southward,  of  course,  toward  the  Straits  of  Do- 
ver. As  she  was  passing  through  the  Straits, 
between  Dover  and  Calais,  a  man-of-war  named 
the  Nicholas  of  the  Tower,  hove  in  sight,  com- 
ing up  to  the  vessel  just  as  they  were  sending 
a  boat  on  shore  at  Calais  to  inquire  whether 
Suffolk  would  be  allowed  to  land  there.  The 
boat  was  intercepted.  At  the  same  time,  a  boat 


186         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1449. 

Suffolk  made  prisoner  again.  His  execution  in  a  boat 

from  the  man-of-war  came  on  board  the  vessel, 
bringing  officers  who  were  instructed  to  search 
her  thoroughly.  Of  course,  they  found  Suffolk 
on  board,  and  the  officer,  as  soon  as  Suffolk  was 
discovered,  informed  him  that  he  must  go  with 
him  on  board  the  man-of-war. 

Suffolk  had  no  alternative  but  to  obey.  The 
captain  of  the  man-of-war  received  him,  as  he 
stepped  upon  the  deck,  with  the  words,  I  am 
glad  to  see  you,  traitor,  or  something  to  that 
effect.  Such  a  salutation  must  have  plainly  in- 
dicated to  Suffolk  what  was  before  him.  The 
man-of-war  moved  toward  the  English  shore, 
and  began  to  make  signals  to  some  parties  on 
the  land.  She  remained  there  for  two  days, 
exchanging  signals  in  this  way  from  time  to 
time,  and  apparently  awaiting  orders. 

At  length,  on  the  third  day,  a  boat  came  off 
from  the  shore,  provided  with  every  thing  that 
was  necessary  for  the  execution  of  a  criminal. 
There  was  a  platform  with  a  block  upon  it,  an 
axe,  or  cleaver  of  some  sort,  and  an  execution- 
er. Suffolk  was  conveyed  on  board  the  boat, 
and  there,  with  very  little  ceremony,  his  head 
was  laid  upon  the  block,  and  the  executioner 
immediately  commenced  his  task  of  severing  it 
from  the  body.  But,  either  from  the  unsteadi- 
ness of  the  boat,  or  the  unsuitableness  of  the  in- 


1449.]    THE  FALL  OF  SUFFOLK.        187 


Disposal  of  the  body. 


strument,  or  the  clumsiness  of  the  operator,  five 
several  blows  were  required  before  the  bloody 
deed  was  done. 

The  boat  immediately  proceeded  to  the  shore. 
The  men  on  board  threw  out  the  dissevered  re- 
mains upon  the  beach,  and  then  went  away. 

Some  friends  of  Suffolk,  hearing  what  had 
been  done,  came  down  to  the  beach,  and,  find- 
ing the  separate  portions  of  the  body  lying  in 
the  sand  where  they  had  been  thrown,  placed 
them  reverently  together  again,  and  gave  them 
honorable  burial. 


188         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1453. 

Margaret  in  great  trouble.       The  policy  in  respect  to  the  Duke  of  York, 


CHAPTER  XII. 
BIRTH  OF  A  PRINCE. 

AFTEE  the  death  of  Suffolk  the  queen  was 
plunged  into  a  sea  of  anxious  perplexities 
and  troubles,  which  continued  to  disturb  the 
kingdom  and  to  agitate  her  mind,  until  at 
length,  in  1453,  eight  or  nine  years  after  her 
marriage,  she  gave  birth  to  a  son.  This  event, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  aggravated  the  diffi- 
culties of  her  situation  in  a  ten-fold  degree. 

The  reason  why  the  birth  of  her  child  in- 
creased her  troubles  was  this.  It  has  already 
been  said  that  the  Duke  of  York  claimed  to  be 
the  rightful  sovereign  of  England  on  account 
of  being  descended  from  an  older  branch  of  the 
royal  family ;  but  that,  since  Henry  was  estab- 
lished upon  the  throne,  he  was  inclined  to  make 
no  attempt  to  assert  his  claims  so  long  as  it  was 
understood  that  he  was  to  receive  the  kingdom 
at  Henry's  death.  In  order  to  keep  him  con- 
tented in  this  position,  it  had  been  Margaret's 
policy  to  treat  him  with  great  consideration, 
and  to  bestow  upon  him  high  honors,  but,  at 
the  same  tune,  to  watch  him  very  closely,  and 


1453.]       BIRTH  OF  A  PRINCE.  189 

Somerset's  return  to  England.  The  people  willing  to  wait. 

to  avoid  conferring  upon  him  any  such  sub- 
stantial power  within  the  realm  of  England 
as  would  enable  him  to  attempt  to  seize  the 
throne.  She  accordingly  gave  him  the  regen- 
cy of  France,  and  afterward,  when  she  recalled 
him  from  that  country  in  order  to  send  Somer- 
set there,  she  sent  him  to  Ireland. 

After  the  death  of  Suffolk,  Somerset  came 
home  from  France.  Indeed,  he  was  on  his  way 
home  at  the  very  time  that  Suffolk  was  killed, 
the  English  possessions  there  having  been  al- 
most entirely  lost.  As  soon  as  he  returned,  the 
queen  received  him  into  high  favor  at  court, 
and  soon  made  him  the  chief  minister  of  the 
crown.  The  people  of  the  country  were  dis- 
pleased at  this,  and  soon  showed  marks  of  great 
discontent.  They  would  very  likely  have  risen 
in  open  rebellion  had  it  not  been  that  Henry's 
health  was  so  feeble,  and  the  probability  was 
so  great  that  he  would  die  without  issue — in 
which  case  the  crown  would  devolve  peaceful- 
ly to  the  Duke  of  York  and  his  heirs. 

"  Let  us  wait,"  said  they,  "  for  a  short  time, 
and  it  will  all  come  right.  It  is  better  to  bear 
the  evils  of  this  state  of  things  a  little  longer 
than  to  plunge  the  country  into  the  horrors  of 
civil  war  in  attempting  to  change  the  dynasty 
by  force  before  Henry  dies." 


190         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1453. 

Two  partiae  formed.  The  nobles.  The  two  leaden. 

In  the  mean  time,  however,  although  this 
was  so  far  the  prevailing  public  sentiment  as 
to  prevent  an  actual  outbreak,  it  did  not  by 
any  means  save  the  community  from  being  un- 
necessarily agitated  by  anxieties  and  fears  lest 
an  outbreak  should  take  place,  nor  did  it  pre- 
vent innumerable  plots  and  conspiracies  being 
formed  tending  to  produce  one.  The  country 
was  divided  into  two  great  parties — those  that 
favored  the  Duke  of  York  and  his  dynasty,  and 
those  who  adhered  to  the  house  of  Lancaster. 
The  nobles  took  sides  in  the  quarrel,  some 
openly  and  others  in  secret.  As  these  nobles 
were  continually  moving  to  and  fro  from  one 
castle  to  another,  or  between  the  country  and 
London,  at  the  head  of  armed  bodies  of  mei? 
more  or  less  formidable,  no  one  could  tell  what 
plans  were  being  formed,  or  how  soon  an  ex- 
plosion might  occur.  The  Duke  of  York  was, 
of  course,  the  head  and  leader  of  one  side,  and 
the  Duke  of  Somerset,  as  the  confidential  coun- 
selor and  minister  of  Henry  and  the  queen,  was 
the  most  prominent  on  the  other  side,  and  each 
of  these  great  leaders  regarded  the  other  with 
feelings  of  mortal  enmity. 

This  state  of  things  kept  both  the  king  and 
queen  in  continual  anxiety.  The  queen  began 
to  find  that,  by  her  manceuvrings  and  manage- 


1453.]       BIRTH  OF  A  PRINCE.  193 

The  Duke  of  York  comes  to  England.  The  roses. 

ment,  she  had  involved  herself  in  difficulties 
that  were  beyond  her  control,  and  the  poor 
king  was  so  harassed  by  his  troubles  and  per- 
plexities that  his  health,  and,  at  last,  his  mind, 
began  to  suffer  severely. 

At  length  the  Duke  of  York,  without  per- 
mission from  the  government,  crossed  the  Chan- 
nel from  Ireland  and  landed  in  England.  He 
soon  collected  a  large  armed  force,  and  began 
to  move  across  the  country  toward  London. 
The  government  were  much  alarmed.  He  pro- 
fessed not  to  have  any  hostile  object  in  view, 
and  declared  that  he  still  acknowledged  his  al- 
legiance to  the  Lancaster  line ;  but  there  were 
no  means  of  being  sure  that  this  was  not  a  mere 
pretext,  and  that  he  might  not,  at  any  time, 
throw  off  his  mask  and  rise  in  open  rebellion. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  famous  sym- 
bols of  the  red  and  the  white  rose  were  chosen 
as  the  badges  of  the  houses  respectively  of 
York  and  Lancaster,  as  has  already  been  men- 
tioned. The  story  goes  that  at  a  certain  time, 
while  several  nobles  and  persons  of  the  court 
were  walking  in  what  is  called  the  Temple 
Garden,  a  piece  of  open  and  ornamental  ground 
on  the  bank  of  the  river  in  London,  Somerset 
and  Warwick,  who  were  on  different  sides  in 
this  quarrel,  gathered,  the  one  a  white,  and  the 

2(>— 13 


194         MARGARET  OF  ANJOTT.     [1453. 

Origin  of  these  symbols.  An  expedition.  Anxiety  of  the  Ung 

other  a  red  rose,  and  proposed  to  the  rest  of 
the  company  to  pluck  roses  too,  each  accord- 
ing to  his  own  feelings  and  opinions.  From 
this  beginning  the  two  colors  became  the  per- 
manent  badge  of  the  two  lines,  so  much  so  that 
artificial  roses  of  red  and  white  were  manufac- 
tured in  great  numbers  at  last,  to  supply  the 
soldiers  of  the  respective  armies. 

But  to  return  to  the  Duke  of  York.  When 
it  was  found  that  he  was  advancing  toward 
London,  Somerset  urged  the  king  to  put  him- 
self at  the  head  of  a  body  of  troops  and  go  out 
to  meet  him,  and  call  him  to  account  for  his 
proceedings.  The  king  did  so,  the  queen  ac- 
companying the  expedition.  She  was  very 
anxious,  and  felt  much  alarmed  for  the  safety 
of  the  king.  After  various  marchings  and 
manceuvrings,  the  two  armies  came  near  each 
other  in  the  county  of  Kent,  to  the  southeast- 
ward of  London.  King  Henry,  who  was  emi- 
nently a  man  of  peace,  being  possessed  of  nc 
warlike  qualities  whatever,  and  being  extreme- 
ly averse  to  the  shedding  of  blood,  instead  of 
attacking  the  Duke  of  York,  sent  a  messenger 
to  him  to  know  what  his  intentions  were  in 
coming  into  the  country  at  the  head  of  such  a 
force,  and  what  he  desired. 

The  duke  replied  that  he  had  no  designs 


1453.]       BIRTH  OF  A  PRINCE.  195 

Professions.  An  appointment.  Somerset  concealed. 

against  the  king,  but  only  against  the  traitor 
Somerset,  and  he  said  that  if  the  king  would 
order  Somerset  to  be  arrested  and  brought  to 
trial,  he  should  be  satisfied,  and  would  disband 
his  forces. 

The  king,  on  receiving  this  message,  was 
much  troubled  and  perplexed,  but  at  length 
he  concluded,  under  the  advice  of  some  of  his 
counselors,  to  comply  with  this  demand.  He 
caused  Somerset  to  be  arrested,  and  notified 
the  Duke  of  York  that  he  had  done  so.  The 
Duke  of  York  then  disbanded  his  army,  or  at 
least  sent  the  troops  away,  and  made  an  ap- 
pointment to  come  unattended  and  visit  the 
king  in  his  tent,  with  a  view  to  conferring  with 
him  on  the  terms  and  conditions  of  a  perma- 
nent reconciliation. 

This  interview  resulted  in  a  very  extraordi- 
nary scene.  It  seems  that  the  queen  had  con- 
trived the  means  of  secretly  releasing  Somerset 
after  his  arrest,  and  bringing  him  by  stealth  to 
the  king's  pavilion,  and  concealing  him  there 
behind  the  arras  at  the  time  the  Duke  of  York 
was  to  be  admitted,  in  order  that  he,  Somerset, 
might  be  a  witness  of  the  interview.  While 
he  was  thus  secreted,  the  Duke  of  York  came 
in.  He  commenced  his  conference  with  the 
king  by  repeating  earnestly  what  he  said  be- 


196         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1453. 

Scene  in  the  tent.      Fierce  altercation.     The  Duke  of  York  imprisoned. 

fore,  namely,  that  he  had  not  been  actuated  in 
what  he  had  done  by  any  feeling  of  hostility 
against  the  king,  but  only  against  Somerset. 
His  sole  object  in  taking  up  arms,  he  said,  was 
that  that  arch  traitor  might  be  brought  to  pun- 
ishment. 

On  hearing  these  words.  Somerset  could  con- 
tain himself  no  longer,  but,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  Duke  of  York  and  to  the  utter 
consternation  of  the  king,  he  rushed  out  from 
his  hiding-place,  and  began  to  assail  the  duke 
with  the  most  violent  reproaches,  alleging  that 
his  pretensions  of  friendship  for  Henry  were 
false,  and  that  the  real  design  of  his  movements 
was  to  usurp  the  throne.  The  duke  retorted 
with  equally  fierce  denunciations  and  threats. 
During  the  continuance  of  this  altercation,  the 
king  remained  stupefied  and  speechless,  and  at 
length,  when  the  duke  retired,  officers  were 
ready  at  the  door  to  arrest  him,  having  been 
stationed  there  by  the  queen. 

He  was  held  a  prisoner,  however,  but  a  short 
time,  for  his  son,  who  afterward  became  Edward 
IV.,  immediately  commenced  raising  an  army 
to  come  and  release  him.  It  was  considered, 
for  other  reasons,  dangerous  to  attempt  to  hold 
Buch  a  man  in  durance,  since  probably  more 
than  half  the  kingdom  were  on  his  side.  So 


1453.]       BIRTH  OF  A  PRINCE.  197 

Released.  Birth  of  the  prince.  Question  of  the  succession. 

he  was  offered  his  liberty  on  condition  that  he 
would  take  the  new  and  solemn  oath  of  fealty 
to  the  king. 

This  he  consented  to  do,  and  the  oath  was 
taken  with  great  ceremony  in  St.  Paul's  Cathe- 
dral, and  then  he  was  dismissed.  He  went  off 
to  one  of  his  castles  in  the  country,  muttering 
deep  and  earnest  threats  of  vengeance. 

It  was  about  a  year  after  this  that  Margaret's 
babe  was  born.  It  was  a  son. 

Of  course,  the  birth  of  this  child  immensely 
increased  the  difficulties  and  dangers  in  which 
the  kingdom  was  involved,  for  it  seemed  to  ex- 
tinguish the  hope  that  the  quarrel  would  be  set- 
tled by  the  York  family  succeeding  peaceably 
to  the  crown  on  the  death  of  Henry.  Now,  at 
length,  there  was  an  heir  to  the  Lancastrian  line. 
Of  course  Margaret,  and  all  those  who  were  con- 
nected with  the  Lancastrian  line,  either  by  blood 
or  political  partisanship,  would  resolve  to  sup- 
port the  rights  of  this  heir.  On  the  other  hand, 
it  was  not  to  be  supposed  that  the  Duke  of  York 
would  relinquish  his  claims,  and  he  would  no 
longer  have  any  inducement  to  postpone  assert- 
ing them.  Thus  the  birth  of  the  young  prince 
was  the  occasion  of  plunging  the  country  in 
new  and  more  feverish  excitement  than  ever. 
Plots  and  counter-plots,  conspiracies  and  coun- 


198         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1453. 

New  difficulties.  Prince  of  Wales. 

ter-conspiracies,  were  the  order  of  the  day.  Ev- 
ery body  was  taking  sides,  or,  at  least,  making 
arrangements  for  taking  sides,  as  soon  as  the 
outbreak  should  occur.  And  no  one  knew  how 
soon  this  would  be. 


The  child  was  born  on  a  certain  religious 
holiday  called  St.  Edward's  day,  and  so  they 
named  him  Edward.  In  a  few  months  after  his 
birth  he  was  made  Prince  of  Wales,  and  it  is 
by  this  title  only  that  he  is  known  in  hiatory, 
for  he  never  became  king. 


1453.]     ILLNESS  OF  THE  KING.         199 

Strange  reverses.  The  king's  insanity. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
ILLNESS  OF  THE  KING. 

THE  circumstances  of  poor  Margaret's  case 
seem  to  have  reversed  all  ordinary  condi- 
tions of  domestic  happiness.  The  birth  of  her 
son  placed  her  in  a  condition  of  extreme  and 
terrible  danger,  while  the  immediate  bursting 
of  the  storm  was  averted,  and  the  sufferings 
which  she  was  in  the  end  called  upon  to  endure 
in  consequence  of  it  were  postponed  for  a  time 
by  what  would,  in  ordinary  circumstances,  be 
the  worst  possible  of  calamities,  the  insanity  of 
her  husband.  Happy  as  a  queen,  says  the  prov- 
erb, but  what  a  mockery  of  happiness  is  this, 
when  the  birth  of  a  child  is  a  great  domestic  ca- 
lamity, the  evils  of  which  were  only  in  part 
averted,  or  rather  postponed,  by  an  unexpected 
blessing  in  the  shape  of  the  insanity  of  the  hus- 
band and  father. 

Henry's  health  had  been  gradually  declining 
during  many  months  before  the  little  Edward 
was  born.  The  cares  and  anxieties  of  his  situ- 
ation, which  often  became  so  extreme  as  to  de- 
prive him  of  all  rest  and  sleep,  became,  at 


200         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1453. 

His  condition  concealed.     Margaret's  policy.     Death  of  the  archbishop. 

length,  too  heavy  for  him  to  bear,  and  his  fee- 
ble intellect,  in  the  end,  broke  down  under  them 
entirely.  The  queen  did  all  in  her  power  to 
conceal  his  condition  from  the  people,  and  even 
from  the  court.  It  was  comparatively  easy  to 
do  this,  for  the  derangement  was  not  at  all  vi- 
olent in  its  form.  It  was  a  sort  of  lethargy,  a 
total  failure  of  the  mental  powers  and  almost  of 
consciousness — more  like  idiocy  than  mania. 
The  queen  removed  him  to  Windsor,  and  there 
kept  him  closely  shut  up,  admitting  that  he 
was  sick,  but  concealing  his  true  situation  so  far 
as  was  in  her  power,  and,  in  the  mean  time,  car- 
rying on  the  government  in  his  name,  with  the 
aid  of  Somerset  and  other  great  officers  of  stat^ 
whom  she  admitted  into  her  confidence.  Par- 
liament and  the  public  were  very  uneasy  under 
this  state  of  things.  The  Duke  of  York  was 
laying  his  plans,  and  every  one  was  anxious  to 
know  what  was  coming.  But  Margaret  would 
allow  nobody  to  enter  the  king's  chamber,  un- 
der any  pretext  whatever,  except  those  who 
were  in  her  confidence,  and  entirely  under  her 
orders. 

At  length,  about  two  months  after  Edward 
was  born,  the  highest  dignitary  of  the  Church, 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  died.  This 
event,  according  to  the  ancient  usages  of  the 


1454.]     ILLNESS  OF  THE  KING.        201 

A  deputation.  The  duke's  policy.  The  duke  made  regent 

realm,  gave  the  House  of  Lords  the  right  to 
send  a  deputation  to  the  king  to  condole  with 
him,  and  to  ascertain  his  wishes  in  respect  to 
the  measures  to  be  adopted  on  the  occasion. 

This  committee  accordingly  proceeded  to 
Windsor,  and  coming,  as  they  did,  under  the 
authority  of  ancient  custom,  which  in  England, 
in  those  days,  had  even  more  than  the  force 
of  law,  they  could  not  be  refused  admission. 
They  found  the  king  lying  helpless  and  uncon- 
scious, and  they  could  not  obtain  from  him  any 
answer  to  what  they  said  to  him,  or  any  sign 
that  the  slightest  spark  of  intelligence  remained 
in  his  mind. 

The  committee  reported  these  facts  to  the 
House  of  Lords.  Finding  how  serious  the 
king's  illness  was,  the  party  of  the  Duke  of 
York  concluded  to  wait  a  little  longer.  There 
was  a  great  probability  that  the  king  would 
soon  die.  The  life,  too,  of  the  infant  son  was  of 
course  very  precarious.  He  might  not  survive 
the  dangers  of  infancy,  and  in  that  case  the 
Duke  of  York  would  succeed  to  the  throne  at 
once  without  any  struggle.  So  a  sort  of  com- 
promise was  effected.  Parliament  appointed 
the  Duke  of  York  protector  and  defender  of 
the  king  during  his  illness,  or  until  such  time 
as  Edward,  the  young  prince,  should  arrive 


202        MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1454. 

The  duke's  hopes.  Margaret  dissatisfied. 

at  the  proper  age  for  undertaking  the  govern- 
ment. It  was  at  this  time  that  young  Edward 
was  made  Prince  of  Wales.  The  conferring 
of  this  title  upon  him  was  confirmed  by  both 
houses  of  Parliament.  They  thus  solemnly  de- 
creed that,  though  the  Duke  of  York  was  to 
exercise  the  government  during  the  sickness 
of  the  king  and  the  minority  of  Edward,  still 
the  kingdom  was  to  be  reserved  for  Edward 
as  the  rightful  heir,  and  he  was  to  be  put  into 
possession  of  the  sovereign  power,  either  as  re- 
gent in  case  his  father  should  continue  to  live 
until  that  time,  or  as  king  if,  in  the  interim, 
he  should  die. 

The  Duke  of  York  and  his  friends  acceded 
to  this  arrangement,  in  hopes  that  the  prince 
never  would  arrive  at  years  of  discretion,  but 
that,  before  many  years,  and  perhaps  before 
many  months,  both  father  and  son  would  die. 
He  thought  it  better,  at  any  rate,  to  wait  qui- 
etly for  a  time,  especially  as,  during  the  period 
of  this  waiting,  he  was  put  in  possession  sub- 
stantially of  the  supreme  power. 

Queen  Margaret  herself  was  extremely  dis- 
satisfied with  the  arrangement  by  which  the 
Duke  of  York  was  made  regent,  since  it  of 
course  deprived  her  of  all  her  power.  But  she 
could  do  nothing  to  prevent  it.  Besides,  her 


1454.]     ILLNESS  OF  THE  KING.        203 

Her  condition.  •  She  concludes  to  submit 

mind  was  so  filled  with  the  maternal  feelings 
and  affections  which  her  situation  inspired  and 
with  the  care  of  the  infant  child,  that  she  had 
for  a  time  no  heart  for  political  contention. 

Then,  moreover,  the  Parliament,  at  the  same 
time  that  they  made  the  Duke  of  York  regent, 
and  thus  virtually  deprived  the  queen  of  her 
power,  settled  upon  her  an  ample  annuity,  by 
means  of  which  she  would  be  enabled  to  live, 
with  her  son,  in  a  state  becoming  her  rank  and 
her  ambition.  One  motive,  doubtless,  which 
led  them  to  do  this  was  to  induce  her  to  acqui- 
esce in  this  change,  and  remain  quiet  in  the  po- 
sition in  which  they  thus  placed  her. 

In  addition  to  the  liberal  supplies  which  the 
Parliament  granted  to  the  queen,  they  made 
ample  provision  for  maintaining  the  dignity 
and  providing  for  the  education  of  the  young 
prince.  Among  other  things,  a  commission  of 
five  physicians  was  appointed  to  watch  over 
his  health. 

Margaret  was  the  more  easily  persuaded  to 
acquiesce  in  these  arrangements  from  believ- 
ing, as  she  did,  that  the  state  of  things  to  which 
they  gave  rise  would  be  of  short  duration.  She 
fully  believed  that  her  husband  would  recover, 
and  then  the  regency  of  the  Dulre  of  York 
would  cease,  and  the  kiner — that  is,  the  kin&  in 


204         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1454 

The  queen's  establishment  at  Greenwich .  Her  care  of  Henry. 

name,  but  she  herself  in  reality — would  come 
into  power  again.  So  she  determined  to  bide 
her  time. 

She  accordingly  retired  from  London,  and 
set  up  an  establishment  of  her  own  in  her  pal- 
ace at  Greenwich,  where  she  held  her  court, 
and  lived  in  a  style  of  grandeur  and  ceremony 
such  as  would  have  been  proper  if  she  had 
been  a  reigning  queen.  Her  old  favorite,  too, 
Somerset,  was  at  first  one  of  the  principal  per- 
sonages of  her  court ;  but  one  of  the  first  acts 
of  the  Duke  of  York's  regency  was  to  issue  a 
warrant  of  arrest  against  him.  The  officers,  in 
executing  this  warrant,  seized  him  in  the  very 
presence-chamber  of  the  queen.  Margaret  was 
extremely  incensed  at  this  deed.  She  declared 
that  it  was  not  only  an  act  of  political  hostility, 
but  an  insult.  She  was,  however,  entirely  help- 
less. The  Duke  of  York  had  the  power  now, 
and  she  was  compelled  to  submit. 

But  she  was  not  required  to  remain  long  in 
this  humiliating  position.  She  procured  the 
best  possible  medical  advice  and  attendance  for 
her  husband,  and  devoted  herself  to  him  with 
the  utmost  assiduity,  and,  at  length,  she  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  that  he  was  beginning  to 
amend.  The  improvement  commenced  in  No- 
vember, about  eight  or  ten  months  after  he  first 


1454.]     ILLNESS  OF  THE  KING.        205 

Recovery.     The  prince  shown  to  him.     Marks  of  returning  consciousness. 

fell  into  the  state  of  unconsciousness.  When 
at  length  he  came  to  himself,  it  seemed  to  him, 
he  said,  as  if  he  was  awaking  from  a  long  dream. 

Margaret  was  overjoyed  to  see  these  signs  of 
returning  intelligence.  She  longed  for  the  time 
to  come  when  she  could  show  the  king  her  boy. 
He  had  thus  far  never  seen  the  child. 

We  obtain  a  pretty  clear  idea  of  the  state  of 
imbecility  or  unconsciousness  in  which  he  had 
been  lying  from  the  account  of  what  he  did 
and  said  at  the  interview  when  the  little  prince 
was  first  brought  into  his  presence.  It  is  as 
follows : 

"  On  Monday,  at  noon,  the  queen  came  to 
him  and  brought  my  lord  prince  with  her,  and 
then  he  asked  '  what  the  prince's  name  was,' 
and  the  queen  told  him  '  Edward,'  and  then  he 
held  up  his  hands,  and  thanked  God  thereof. 

"  And  he  said  he  never  knew  him  till  that 
time,  nor  wist  what  was  said  to  him,  nor  wist 
where  he  had  been,  while  he  had  been  sick, 
till  now ;  and  he  asked  who  were  the  godfa- 
thers, and  the  queen  told  him,  and  he  was  well 
content. 

"  And  she  told  him  the  cardinal  was  dead,* 

*  The  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  the  circumstance  of 
whose  death  has  already  been  referred  to. 


206         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1454 


The  king  reinstated. 


and  he  said  he  never  knew  of  it  till  this  time ; 
then  he  said  one  of  the  wisest  lords  in  this  land 
was  dead. 

"  And  my  Lord  of  Winchester  and  my  Lord 
of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem  were  with  him  the 
morrow  after  Twelfth  day,  and  he  did  speak  to 
them  as  well  as  ever  he  did,  and  when  they 
came  out  they  wept  for  joy.  And  he  saith  he 
is  in  charity  with  all  the  world,  and  so  he  would 
all  the  lords  were.  And  now  he  saith  matins 
of  our  Lady  and  even-song,  and  heareth  his  mass 
devoutly." 

The  very  first  moment  that  the  king  was 
able  to  bear  it,  Margaret  caused  him  to  be  con- 
veyed into  the  House  of  Lords,  there  to  resume 
the  exercise  of  his  royal  powers  by  taking  his 
place  upon  the  throne  and  performing  some 
act  of  sovereignty.  The  regency  was,  of  course, 
now  at  an  end,  and  the  Duke  of  York,  leaving 
London,  went  off  into  the  country  in  high  dudg^ 
eon. 

The  queen,  of  course,  now  came  into  power 
again.  The  first  thing  that  she  did  was  to  re- 
lease Somerset  from  his  confinement,  and  rein 
state  him  as  prime  minister  of  the  crown. 


1454.]  ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE.       207 

A  great  deal  of  trouble.  Angry  disputes.  Insubordination. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE. 

FOR  about  six  years  after  this  time,  that  is, 
from  the  birth  of  Prince  Edward  till  he 
was  six  years  old,  and  while  Margaret  was  ad- 
vancing from  her  twenty-fourth  to  her  thirtieth 
year,  her  life  was  one  of  continual  anxiety,  con- 
tention, and  alarm.  The  Duke  of  York  and 
his  party  made  continual  difficulty,  and  the 
quarrel  between  him,  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick, 
and  the  other  nobles  who  espoused  his  cause, 
on  one  side,  and  the  queen,  supported  by  the 
Duke  of  Somerset  and  other  great  Lancastrian 
partisans  on  the  other,  kept  the  kingdom  in  a 
constant  ferment.  Sometimes  the  force  of  the 
quarrel  "spent  itself  in  intrigues,  manoeuvres, 
and  plottings,  or  in  fierce  and  angry  debates  in 
Parliament,  or  in  bitter  animosities  and  conten- 
tions in  private  and  social  life.  At  other  times 
it  would  break  out  into  open  war,  and  again 
and  again  was  Margaret  compelled  to  leave  her 
child  in  the  hands  of  nurses  and  guardians, 
while  she  went  with  her  poor  helpless  husband 
to  follow  the  camp,  in  order  to  meet  and  over- 


208         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1454. 

Modes  of  amusing  the  king.  The  singing  boys. 

come  the  military  assemblages  which  the  Duke 
of  York  was  continually  bringing  together  at 
his  castles  in  the  country  or  in  the  open  fields. 

The  king's  health  during  all  this  period  was 
BO  frail,  and  his  mind,  especially  at  certain  times, 
was  so  feeble,  that  he  was  almost  as  helpless  as 
a  child.  There  was  an  hereditary  taint  of  in- 
sanity in  the  family,  which  made  his  case  still 
more  discouraging. 

Queen  Margaret  took  the  greatest  pains  to 
amuse  him,  and  to  provide  employments  for 
him  that  would  occupy  his  thoughts  in  a  gentle 
and  soothing  manner.  When  traveling  about 
the  country,  she  employed  minstrels  to  sing 
and  play  to  him ;  and,  in  order  to  have  a  con- 
stant supply  of  these  performers  provided,  and 
to  have  them  well  trained  to  their  art,  she  sent 
instructions  to  the  sheriffs  of  the  counties  in  all 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  requiring  them  to  seek 
for  all  the  beautiful  boys  that  had  good  voices, 
and  to  have  them  instructed  in  the  art  of  mu- 
sic, so  that  they  might  be  ready,  when  called 
upon,  to  perform  before  the  king.  In  the  mean 
time  they  were  to  be  paid  good  wages,  and  to 
be  considered  already,  while  receiving  their  in- 
struction, as  acting  under  the  charge  and  in  the 
service  of  the  queen. 

Margaret  and  the  other  friends  of  the  king 


1454.]  ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE.       20& 

Pretended  pilgrimages.        The  king  comforted.        One  real  pilgrimage. 

used  to  contrive  various  other  ways  of  amusing 
and  comforting  his  mind,  some  of  which  were 
not  very  honest.  One  was,  for  example,  to 
have  different  nobles  and  gentlemen  come  to 
him  and  ask  his  permission  that  they  should 
leave  the  kingdom  to  go  and  make  pilgrimages 
to  various  foreign  shrines,  in  order  to  fulfill 
vows  and  offer  oblations  and  prayers  for  the 
restoration  of  his  majesty's  health.  The  king 
was  of  a  very  devout  frame  of  mind,  and  his 
thoughts  were  accustomed  to  dwell  a  great  deal 
on  religious  subjects,  and  especially  on  the  per- 
formance of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  customa- 
ry in  those  days,  and  it  seemed  to  comfort  him 
very  much  to  imagine  that  his  friends  were  go- 
ing to  make  such  long  pilgrimages  to  pray  for 
him. 

So  the  nobles  and  other  great  personages 
would  ask  his  consent  that  they  might  go,  and 
would  take  solemn  leave  of  him  as  if  they  were 
really  going,  and  then  would  keep  out  of  sight 
a  little  while,  until  the  poor  patient  had  forgot- 
ten their  request. 

It  is  said,  however,  that  one  nobleman,  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  was  so  kind-hearted  a 
man  that  he  went  by  the  name  of  the  Good 
Duke,  actually  made  the  pilgrimage  to  Jerusa- 
lem on  this  errand,  and  there  offered  up  prayers 
20—14 


210         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1454 

The  philosopher's  stone.     Promised  treasures.     Intervals  of  good  health. 

and  supplications  at  the  famous  chapel  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  for  the  restoration  of  his  sover- 
eign's health. 

They  used  also  to  amuse  and  cheer  the 
king's  mind  by  telling  him,  from  time  to  time, 
that  he  was  going  to  be  supplied  with  inex- 
haustible treasures  of  wealth  by  the  discovery 
of  the  philosopher's  stone.  The  philosopher's 
stone  was  an  imaginary  substance  which  the 
alchemists  of  those  days  were  all  the  time  at- 
tempting to  discover,  by  means  of  which  lead 
and  iron,  and  all  other  metals,  could  be  turned 
to  gold.  There  were  royal  laboratories,  and 
alchemists  continually  at  work  in  them  mak- 
ing experiments,  and  the  queen  used  to  give 
the  king  wonderful  accounts  of  the  progress 
which  they  were  making,  and  tell  him  that  the 
discovery  was  nearly  completed,  and  that  very 
soon  he  would  have  in  his  exchequer  just  as 
much  money  as  his  heart  could  desire.  The 
poor  king  fully  believed  all  these  stories,  and 
was  extremely  pleased  and  gratified  to  hear 
them. 

There  were  times  during  this  interval  when 
the  king  was  tolerably  well,  his  malady  being 
somewhat  periodical  in  its  character.  This  was 
the  case  particularly  on  one  occasion,  soon  aft- 
er his  first  recovery  from  the  state  of  total  in- 


1454.]  ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE.       211 

Restoration  of  Somerset.  Armies  marshaled. 

sensibility  which  has  been  referred  to.  The 
Duke  of  York,  as  has  already  been  said,  was 
put  very  much  out  of  humor  by  the  king's  re- 
covery on  this  occasion,  and  by  his  own  conse- 
quent deposition  from  the  office  of  regent,  and 
still  more  so  when  he  found  that  the  first  act 
which  the  queen  performed  on  her  recovery 
of  power  was  to  release  his  hated  enemy,  Som- 
erset, from  the  prison  where  he,  the  Duke  of 
York,  had  confined  him,  and  make  him  prime 
minister  again.  He  very  soon  determined  that 
he  would  not  submit  to  this  indignity.  He 
assembled  an  army  on  the  frontiers  of  Wales, 
where  some  of  his  chief  strong-holds  were  sit- 
uated, and  assumed  an  attitude  of  hostility  so 
defiant  that  the  queen's  government  determined 
to  take  the  field  to  oppose  him. 

So  they  raised  an  army,  and  the  Duke  ol 
Somerset,  with  the  queen,  taking  the  king  with 
them,  set  out  from  London  and  marched  to- 
ward the  northwest.  They  stopped  first  at  the 
town  of  St.  Alban's.*  When  they  were  about 
to  resume  their  march  from  St.  Alban's,  they 
saw  that  the  hills  before  them  were  covered 
with  bands  of  armed  men,  the  forces  of  the 
Duke  of  York,  which  he  was  leading  on  to- 
ward the  capital.  Somerset's  forces  immediate- 
*  See  map. 


212         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1454 

Bt  Alban's.  The  parley.  Reply.  Attack  on  the  town. 

ly  returned  to  the  town.  Margaret,  who  was  for 
a  time  greatly  distressed  and  perplexed  to  de- 
cide between  her  duty  toward  her  husband  and 
toward  her  child,  finally  concluded  to* retire  to 
Greenwich  with  the  little  prince,  and  await 
there  the  result  of  the  battle,  leaving  the  Duke 
of  Somerset  to  do  the  best  he  could  with  the 
king. 

Very  soon  a  herald  came  from  the  Duke  of 
York  to  the  gates  of  St.  Alban's,  and  demanded 
a  parley.  He  said  that  the  duke  had  not  tak- 
en arms  against  the  king,  but  only  against 
Somerset.  He  professed  great  loyalty  and  af- 
fection for  Henry  himself,  and  only  wished  to 
save  him  from  the  dangerous  counsels  of  a  cor- 
rupt and  traitorous  minister,  and  he  said  that 
if  the  king  would  deliver  up  Somerset  to  him, 
he  would  at  once  disband  his  armies,  and  the 
difficulty  would  be  all  at  an  end. 

The  reply  sent  to  this  was  that  the  king  de- 
clared that  he  would  lose  both  his  crown  and 
his  life  before  he  would  deliver  up  either  the 
Duke  of  Somerset  or  even  the  meanest  soldier 
in  his  army  to  such  a  demand. 

The  Duke  of  York,  on  receiving  this  answer, 
immediately  advanced  to  attack  the  town.  For 
some  time  Henry's  men  defended  the  walls  and 
gates  successfully  against  him,  but  at  length 


1454.]  ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE.       213 

Terrible  conflict.       The  king  taken  prisoner.       The  duke's  deameauor. 

the  Earl  of  Warwick,  who  was  the  Duke  of 
York's  principal  confederate  and  supporter  in 
this  movement,  passed  with  a  strong  detach- 
ment by  another  way  round  a  hill,  and  through 
some  gardens,  and  thence,  by  breaking  down 
the  wall  which  stood  between  the  garden  and 
the  town,  he  succeeded  in  getting  in.  A  ter- 
rible conflict  then  ensued  in  the  streets  and 
narrow  lanes  of  the  city,  and  the  attention  of 
the  besieged  being  thus  drawn  off  from  the 
walls  and  the  gates,  the  Duke  of  York  soon 
succeeded  in  forcing  his  way  in  too. 

King  Henry's  forces  were  soon  routed  with 
great  slaughter.  The  Duke  of  Somerset  and 
several  other  prominent  nobles  were  killed 
The  king  himself  was  wounded  by  an  arrow, 
which  struck  him  in  the  neck  as  he  was  stand- 
ing under  his  banner  in  the  street  with  his 
officers  around  him.  When  these  his  attend- 
ants saw  that  the  battle  was  going  against  him, 
they  all  forsook  him  and  fled,  leaving  him  by 
his  banner  alone.  He  remained  here  quietly 
for  some  time,  and  then  went  into  a  shop  near 
by,  where  presently  the  Duke  of  York  found 
him. 

As  soon  as  the  Duke  came  into  the  king's 
presence  he  kneeled  before  him,  thus  acknowl- 
edging him  as  king,  and  said, 


214         MARGARET  or  ANJOU.     [1457. 

The  king  conveyed  to  London.  Margaret's  despair. 

"  The  traitor  and  public  enemy  against  whom 
we  took  up  arms  is  dead,  and  now  there  will 
be  no  farther  trouble." 

"  Then,"  said  the  king,  "  for  God's  sake,  go 
and  stop  the  slaughter  of  my  subjects." 

The  duke  immediately  sent  orders  to  stop 
the  fighting,  and,  taking  the  king  by  the  hand, 
he  led  him  to  the  Abbey  of  St.  Alban's,  a  vener- 
able monastic  edifice,  greatly  celebrated  in  the 
histories  of  these  times,  and  there  caused  him 
to  be  conveyed  to  his  apartment.  The  next 
day  he  took  him  to  London.  He  rendered  him 
all  external  tokens  of  homage  and  obedience 
by  the  way,  but  still  virtually  the  king  was  his 
prisoner. 

Poor  Queen  Margaret  was  all  this  time  at 
Greenwich,  waiting  in  the  utmost  suspense  and 
anxiety  to  hear  tidings  of  the  battle.  When, 
at  length,  the  news  arrived  that  the  battle  had 
been  lost,  that  the  king  had  been  wounded,  and 
was  now  virtually  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of 
her  abhorred  and  hated  enemy,  she  was  thrown 
into  a  state  of  utter  despair,  so  much  so  that 
she  remained  for  some  hours  in  a  sort  of  stupor, 
as  if  all  was  now  lost,  and  it  was  useless  and 
hopeless  to  continue  the  struggle  any  longer. 

She  however,  at  length,  revived,  and  began 
to  consider  again  what  was  to  be  done.  The 


1457.]  ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE.       215 

The  king's  wound.      The  queen  and  the  prince.      Grand  reconciliation. 

prospect  before  her,  however,  seemed  to  grow 
darker  and  darker.  The  fatigue  and  excite- 
ment which  the  king  had  suffered,  joined  to  the 
effects  of  his  wound,  which  seemed  not  disposed 
to  heal,  produced  a  relapse.  The  Duke  of  York 
appears  to  have  considered  that  the  time  had 
not  jet  come  for  him  to  attempt  to  assert  his 
claims  to  the  throne.  He  contented  himself 
with  so  exhibiting  the  condition  of  the  king  to 
members  of  Parliament  as  to  induce  that  body 
to  appoint  him  protector  again.  When  he  had 
thus  regained  possession  of  power,  he  restored 
the  king  to  the  care  of  the  queen,  and  sent  her, 
with  him  and  the  little  prince,  into  the  country. 
One  of  the  most  extraordinary  circumstances 
which  occurred  in  the  course  of  these  anxious 
and  troubled  years  was  a  famous  reconciliation 
which  took  place  at  one  time  between  the  par- 
ties to  this  great  quarrel.  It  was  at  a  time 
when  England  was  threatened  with  an  inva- 
sion from  France.  Queen  Margaret  proposed 
a  grand  meeting  of  all  the  lords  and  nobles  on 
both  sides,  to  agree  upon  some  terms  of  pacifi- 
cation by  which  the  intestine  feud  which  di- 
vided and  distracted  the  country  might  be  heal- 
ed, and  the  way  prepared  for  turning  their  united 
strength  against  the  foe.  But  it  was  a  very 
dangerous  thing  to  attempt  to  bring  these  tur- 


216         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [14581 

Mutual  distrust.  Meeting  of  the  nobles.  Armed  band*. 

bulent  leaders  together.  They  had  no  confi- 
dence in  each  other,  and  no  one  of  them  would 
be  willing  to  come  to  the  congress  without 
bringing  with  him  a  large  armed  force  of  fol- 
lowers and  retainers,  to  defend  him  in  case  of 
violence  or  treachery.  Finally,  it  was  agreed 
to  appoint  the  Lord-mayor  of  London  to  keep 
the  peace  among  the  various  parties,  and,  to 
enable  him  to  do  this  effectually,  he  was  pro- 
vided with  a  force  of  ten  thousand  men.  These 
men  were  volunteers  raised  from  among  the 
citizens  of  London. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  the  meeting,  the 
various  leaders  came  in  toward  London,  each 
at  the  head  of  a  body  of  retainers.  One  man 
came  with  five  hundred  men,  another  with  four 
hundred,  and  another  with  six  hundred,  who 
were  all  dressed  in  uniform  with  scarlet  coats. 
Another  nobleman,  representing  the  great  Percy 
family,  came  at  the  head  of  a  body  of  fifteen 
hundred  men,  all  his  own  personal  retainers, 
and  every  one  of  them  ready  to  fight  any  where 
and  against  any  body,  the  moment  that  their 
feudal  lord  should  give  the  word. 

These  various  chieftains,  each  at  the  head  of 
his  troops,  came  to  London  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  established  themselves  at  different 
castles  and  strong-holds  in  and  around  the  city, 


1458.]  ANXIETY  AND  TROUBLE.       217 

Disputes  and  debates.  The  treaty.  Procession. 

like  so  many  independent  sovereigns  coming 
together  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace. 

They  spent  two  whole  months  in  disputes 
and  debates,  in  which  the  fiercest  invectives  and 
the  most  angry  criminations  and  recriminations 
were  uttered  continually  on  both  sides.  At 
length,  marvelous  to  relate,  they  came  to  an 
agreement.  All  the  points  in  dispute  were  ar- 
ranged, a  treaty  was  signed,  and  a  grand  recon- 
ciliation— that  is,  a  pretended  one — was  the  re- 
sult. 

This  meeting  was  convened  about  the  mid- 
dle of  January,  and  on  the  twenty-fourth  of 
March  the  agreement  was  finally  made  and  rat- 
ified, and  sealed,  in  a  solemn  manner,  by  the 
great  seal.  It  contained  a  great  variety  of 
agreements  and  specifications,  which  it  i>3  not 
necessary  to  recapitulate  here,  but  when  all  was 
concluded  there  was  a  grand  public  ceremony 
in  commemoration  of  the  event. 

At  this  celebration  the  king  and  queen,  wear 
ing  their  crowns  and  royal  robes,  walked  in 
solemn  procession  to  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  in  the 
city.  They  were  followed  by  the  leading  peers 
and  prelates  walking  two  and  two ;  and,  in  or- 
der to  exhibit  to  public  view  the  most  perfect 
tokens  and  pledges  of  the  fullness  and  sincerity 
ol  this  grand  reconciliation,  it  was  arranged  that 


218         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [145& 

Mock  reconciliation.  Fighting  again.  The  primce's  journey. 

those  who  had  been  most  bitterly  hostile  to 
each  other  in  the  late  quarrels  should  be  pair- 
ed together  as  they  walked.  Thus,  immediate- 
ly behind  the  king,  who  walked  alone,  came  the 
queen  and  the  Duke  of  York  walking  together 
hand  in  hand,  as  if  they  were  on  the  most  lov- 
ing terms  imaginable,  and  so  with  the  rest 

The  citizens  of  London,  and  vast  crowds  of 
other  people  who  had  come  in  from  the  sur- 
rounding towns  to  witness  the  spectacle,  joined 
in  the  celebration  by  forming  lines  along  the 
streets  as  the  procession  passed  by,  and  greet- 
ing the  reconciled  pairs  with  long  and  loud  ac- 
clamations ;  and  when  night  came,  they  bright- 
ened up  the  whole  city  with  illuminations  of 
their  houses  and  bonfires  in  the  streets. 

In  about  a  year  after  this  the  parties  to  this 
grand  pacification  were  fighting  each  other 
more  fiercely  and  furiously  than  ever. 

At  one  time,  when  the  little  prince  was  about 
six  years  old,  the  queen  maae  a  royal  progresq 
through  certain  counties  in  the  interior  of  thi 
country,  ostensibly  to  benefit  the  king's  healtlj 
by  change  of  air,  and  by  the  gentle  exercise  and 
agreeable  recreation  afforded  by  a  journey,  but 
really,  it  is  said,  to  interest  the  nobles  and  tho 
people  of  the  region  through  which  she  passed 
in  her  cause,  and  especially  in  that  of  the  little 


1458.]  ANXIETY   AND  TROUBLE.       221 

The  little  swans.  War  breaks  out  again. 

prince,  whom  she  took  on  that  occasion  to  show 
to  all  the  people  on  her  route.  She  had  adopt- 
ed for  him  the  device  of  his  renowned  ancestor, 
Edward  III.,  which  was  a  swan ;  and  she  had 
caused  to  be  made  for  him  a  large  number  of 
small  silver  swans,  which  he  was  to  present  to 
the  nobles  and  gentlemen,  and  to  all  who  were 
admitted  to  a  personal  audience,  in  the  towns 
through  which  he  passed.  He  was  a  bright 
and  beautiful  boy,  and  he  gave  these  little 
swans  to  the  people  who  came  around  him  with 
such  a  sweet  and  charming  grace,  that  all  who 
saw  him  were  inspired  with  feelings  of  the 
warmest  interest  and  affection  for  him. 

Very  soon  after  this  time  the  war  between 
the  two  great  contending  parties  broke  out 
anew,  and  took  such  a  course  as  very  soon  de- 
prived King  Henry  of  his  crown.  The  events 
which  led  to  this  result  will  be  related  in  the 
next  chapter. 


222         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1459. 

Th«  battle  of  Blore  Heath.  The  queen's  orders.  Decoration* 


CHAPTER  XV. 
MARGARET  A  FUGITIVE. 

IN  the  summer  of  1459,  the  year  after  the 
grand  reconciliation  took  place  which  is  de- 
scribed in  the  last  chapter,  two  vast  armies,  be- 
longing respectively  to  the  two  parties,  which 
had  been  gradually  gathering  for  a  long  time, 
came  up  together  at  a  place  called  Blore  Heath,* 
in  Staffordshire,  in  the  heart  of  England.  A 
great  battle  ensued.  During  the  battle  Henry 
lay  dangerously  ill  in  the  town  of  Coleshill, 
which  was  not  far  off.  Margaret  was  at  Mac- 
cleston,  another  village  very  near  the  field  of 
battle.  From  the  tower  of  the  church  in  Mac- 
cleston  she  •watched  the  progress  of  the  fight. 
Salisbury  was  at  the  head  of  the  York  party. 
Margaret's  troops  were  commanded  by  Lord 
Audley.  When  Audley  took  leave  of  her  to 
go  into  battle,  she  sternly  ordered  him  to  bring 
Salisbury  to  her,  dead  or  alive. 

Audley  had  ten  thousand  men  under  his 
command.    The  soldiers  were  all  adorned  with 
red  rosettes,  the  symbol  of  the  house  of  Lancas- 
•  For  the  situation  of  Blore  Heath,  see  ma1). 


1459.]    MARGARET  A  FUGITIVE.       223 


Battle  lost.    Feeble  condition  of  the  king.    Spirit  and  temper  of  the  queen, 

ter.  The  officers  wore  little  silver  swans  upon 
their  uniform,  such  as  Prince  Edward  had  dis- 
tributed. 

The  queen  watched  the  progress  of  the  bat- 
tle with  intense  anxiety,  and  soon,  to  her  con- 
sternation and  dismay,  she  saw  that  it  was  go- 
ing against  her.  She  kept  her  eyes  upon  Aud- 
ley's  banner,  and  when,  at  length,  she  saw  it 
fall,  she  knew  that  all  was  lost.  She  hurried 
down  from  the  tower,  and,  with  a  few  friends 
to  accompany  her,  she  fled  for  her  life  to  a 
strong-hold  belonging  to  her  friends  that  was 
not  at  a  great  distance. 

The  king,  too,  had  to  be  removed,  in  order 
to  prevent  his  being  taken  prisoner.  He  was, 
however,  too  feeble  to  know  much  or  to  think 
much  of  what  was  going  on.  When  they  came 
to  take  him  on  his  pallet  to  carry  him  away, 
he  looked  up  and  asked,  feebly,  "  who  had  got 
the  day,"  but  beyond  this  he  gave  no  indica- 
tion of  taking  any  interest  in  the  momentous 
events  that  were  transpiring. 

This  defeat,  instead  of  producing  a  discour- 
aging and  disheartening  effect  upon  Margaret's 
mind,  only  served  to  arouse  her  to  new  vigor 
and  determination.  She  had  been  somewhat 
timid  and  fearful  in  the  earlier  part  of  her 
troubles,  when  she  had  only  a  husband  to  think 


224         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1460. 

Success  of  her  efforts.  The  Earl  of  Warwick. 

of  and  to  care  for.  But  now  she  had  a  son ; 
and  the  maternal  instinct  seemed  to  operate  in 
her  case,  as  it  has  done  in  so  many  others,  to 
make  her  fearless,  desperate,  and,  in  the  end, 
almost  ferocious,  in  protecting  her  offspring 
from  harm,  and  in  maintaining  his  rights.  She 
immediately  engaged  with  the  utmost  zeal  and 
ardor  in  raising  a  new  army.  She  did  not  trust 
the  command  of  it  to  any  general,  but  directed 
all  the  operations  of  it  herself.  There  is  not 
space  to  describe  in  detail  the  campaigns  that 
ensued,  but  the  result  was  a  complete  victory. 
Her  enemies  were,  in  their  turn,  entirely  de- 
feated, and  the  two  great  leaders,  the  Duke  of 
York  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick,  were  actually 
driven  out  of  the  kingdom.  The  Duke  of  York 
retreated  to  Ireland,  and  the  Earl  of  Warwick 
went  across  the  Straits  of  Dover  to  Calais,  which 
was  still  in  English  possession,  and  a  great  na- 
val and  military  station. 

In  a  very  short  time  after  this,  however, 
Warwick  came  back  again  with  a  large  armed 
force,  which  he  had  organized  at  Calais,  and 
landed  in  the  southern  part  of  England.  He 
marched  toward  London,  carrying  all  before 
him.  It  was  now  his  party's  turn  to  be  victo- 
rious; for  by  the  operation  of  that  strange  prin- 
ciple which  seems  to  regulate  the  ups  and  downs 


1460.]    MARGARET  A  FUGITIVE.        225 

His  successful  advance.          Northampton,          The  king  made  captive. 

of  opposing  political  parties  in  all  countries  and 
in  all  ages,  victory  alternates  between  them 
with  almost  the  regularity  of  a  pendulum.  The 
current  of  popular  sentiment,  which  had  set  so 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  queen's  cause  only  a 
short  year  before,  appeared  to  be  now  altogeth- 
er in  favor  of  her  enemies.  Every  body  flocked 
to  Warwick's  standard  as  he  marched  north- 
wardly from  the  coast  toward  London,  and  at 
London  the  people  opened  the  gates  of  the  city 
and  received  him  and  his  troops  as  if  they  had 
been  an  army  of  deliverers. 

Warwick  did  not  delay  long  in  London. 
He  marched  to  the  north  to  meet  the  queen's 
troops.  Another  great  battle  was  fought  at 
Northampton.  Margaret  watched  the  progress 
of  the  fight  from  an  eminence  not  far  distant. 
The  day  went  against  her.  The  result  of  the 
battle  was  that  the  poor  king  was  taken  prison- 
er the  second  time  and  carried  in  triumph  to 
London. 

The  captors,  however,  treated  him  with  great 
consideration  and  respect — not  as  their  enemy 
and  as  their  prisoner,  but  as  their  sovereign, 
rescued  by  them  from  the  hands  of  traitors  and 
foes.  The  time  had  not  even  yet  come  for  the 
York  party  openly  to  avow  their  purpose  of 
deposing  the  king.  So  they  conveyed  him  to 

20—15 


226         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1460. 

Parliament  summoned.  The  king.  The  duke's  pretensions. 

London,  and  lodged  him  in  the  palace  there, 
where  he  was  surrounded  with  all  the  emblems 
and  marks  of  royalty,  but  was  still,  neverthe- 
less, closely  confined. 

The  Duke  of  York  then  summoned  a  Par- 
liament, acting  in  the  king's  name,  of  course, 
that  is,  requiring  the  king  to  sign  the  writs  and 
other  necessary  documents.  It  was  hot  until 
October  that  the  Parliament  met.  During  the 
interval  the  king  was  lodged  in  a  country  place 
not  far  from  London,  where  every  effort  was 
made  to  enable  him  to  pass  his  time  agreeably, 
by  giving  him  an  opportunity  to  hunt,  and  to 
amuse  and  recreate  himself  with  other  out-door 
amusements.  All  the  while,  however,  a  strict 
watch  was  kept  over  him  to  prevent  the  possi- 
bility of  his  making  his  escape,  or  of  the  friends 
of  the  queen  coming  secretly  to  take  him  away. 

As  for  the  queen  and  the  little  prince,  none 
knew  what  had  become  of  them. 

When  Parliament  met,  a  very  extraordinary 
scene  occurred  in  the  House  of  Lords,  in  which 
the  Duke  of  York  was  the  principal  actor,  and 
which  excited  a  great  sensation.  Up  to  this 
time  he  had  put  forward  no  actual  claim  to  the 
throne  in  behalf  of  his  branch  of  the  family, 
but  in  all  the  hostilities  in  which  he  had  been 
engaged  against  the  king's  troops,  his  object  had 


1460.]    MARGARET  A  FUGITIVE.        227 

The  duke  comes  to  Parliament  Scene  in  the  House  of  Lords. 

been,  as  he  had  always  said,  not  to  oppose  the 
king,  but  only  to  save  him,  by  separating  him 
from  the  evil  influences  which  surrounded  him. 
But  he  was  now  beginning  to  be  somewhat 
more  bold. 

Accordingly,  when  Parliament  met,  he  came 
into  London  at  the  head  of  a  body-guard  of  five 
hundred  horsemen,  and  with  the  sword  of  state 
borne  before  him,  as  if  he  were  the  greatest  per- 
sonage in  the  realm.  He  rode  directly  to  West- 
minster, and,  halting  his  men  with  great  parade 
before  the  doors  of  the  hall  where  the  House 
of  Lords  was  assembled,  he  went  in. 

He  advanced  directly  through  the  hall  to  the 
raised  dais  at  the  end  on  which  the  throne  was 
placed.  He  ascended  the  steps,  and  walked  to 
the  throne,  the  whole  assembly  looking  on  in 
solemn  awe,  to  see  what  he  was  going  to  do. 
Some  expected  that  he  was  going  to  take  his 
seat  upon  the  throne,  and  thus  at  once  assume 
the  position  that  he  was  the  true  and  rightful 
sovereign  of  England.  He,  however,  did  not 
do  so.  He  stood  by  the  throne  a  few  minutes, 
with  his  hand  upon  the  crimson  cloth  which 
covered  it,  as  if  hesitating  whether  to  take  his 
seat  or  not,  or  perhaps  waiting  for  some  intima- 
tion from  his  partisans  that  he  was  expected  to 
do  so.  But  for  several  minutes  no  one  spoke 


228         MARGARET  or  ANJOU.      [1460. 

His  haughty  demeanor.  Uenry's  reasoning. 

a  word.  At  length  the  Archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, who  was  in  some  respects  the  most  exalt- 
ed personage  in  the  House  of  Lords,  asked  him 
if  he  would  be  pleased  to  go  and  visit  the  king, 
who  was  at  that  time  in  an  adjoining  apartment. 
He  replied  in  a  haughty  tone, 

"  I  know  no  one  in  this  realm  whose  duty  it 
is  not  rather  to  visit  me  than  to  expect  me  to 
visit  him." 

He  tiben  turned  and  walked  proudly  out  of 
the  house. 

Although  he  thus  refrained  from  actually 
seating  himself  upon  the  throne,  it  was  evident 
that  the  time  was  rapidly  drawing  near  when 
he  would  openly  assert  his  claim  to  it,  and  some 
of  the  peers,  thinking  perhaps  that  Henry  could 
be  induced  peaceably  to  yield,  consulted  him 
upon  the  subject,  asking  him  which  he  thought 
had  the  best  title  to  the  crown,  himself  or  the 
Duke  of  York. 

To  this  question  Henry  replied, 

"My  father  was  king;  his  father  was  king. 
1  have  myself  worn  the  crown  for  forty  years, 
from  my  cradle.  You  have  all  sworn  fealty  to 
me  as  your  sovereign,  and  your  fathers  did  the 
same  to  my  father  and  to  my  grandfather. 
How,  then,  can  any  one  dispute  my  claim?" 

"What  Henry  said  was  true.     The  crown  had 


1460.]    MARGARET  A  FUGITIVE.        229 

Contesting  claims.  Decision  of  t'.ie  question. 

been  in  his  branch  of  the  royal  line  for  three 
generations,  and  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
during  all  which  time  the  whole  nation  had  ac- 
quiesced in  their  rule.  The  claim  of  the  Duke 
of  York  ran  back  to  a  period  anterior  to  all 
this,  but  he  maintained  that  it  was  legitimate 
and  valid,  notwithstanding. 

There  followed  a  series  of  deliberations  and 
negotiations,  the  result  of  which  was  a  decision 
on  the  part  of  Parliament  that  the  Duke  of 
York  and  his  successors  were  really  entitled  to 
the  crown,  but  that,  by  way  of  compromise,  it 
was  not  to  be  in  form  transferred  to  them  until 
after  the  death  of  Henry.  So  long  as  he  should 
continue  to  live,  he  was  to  be  nominally  king, 
but  the  Duke  of  York  was  to  govern  as  regent, 
and,  at  Henry's  death,  the  crown  was  to  descend 
to  him. 

The  duke  was  satisfied  with  this  arrange- 
ment, and  the  first  thing  to  be  done,  in  order  to 
secure  its  being  well  carried  out,  was  to  get  the 
little  prince,  as  well  as  Henry,  the  king,  into  his 
possession ;  for  he  well  knew  that,  even  if  he 
were  to  dispose  of  the  old  king,  and  establish 
himself  in  possession  of  the  throne,  he  could 
have  no  peace  or  quietness  in  the  possession  of 
it  so  long  as  the  little  prince,  with  his  mother, 
was  at  large. 


230         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [146C 


The  queen  commanded  to  return. 


So  he  found  means  to  induce  the  king  to  sigh 
a  mandate  commanding  the  queen  to  come  to 
London  and  bring  the  prince  with  her.  This 
mandate  she  was  required  to  obey  immediately, 
under  penalty,  in  case  of  disobedience,  of  being 
held  guilty  of  treason. 

Officers  were  immediately  dispatched  in  all 
directions  to  search  for  the  queen,  in  order  to 
serve  this  mandate  upon  her,  but  she  was  no- 
where to  be  found. 


1460.]  MARGARET  TRIUMPHANT.       231 

Sadden  reverses.  Retreat  to  Scotland. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
MARGARET  TRIUMPHANT. 

followed  after  this  time  a  series  of 
very  rapid  and  sudden  reverses,  by  which 
first  one  party  and  then  the  other  became  al- 
ternately the  victors  and  the  vanquished, 
through  changes  of  fortune  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary character. 

At  the  end  of  the  battle  described  in  the  last 
chapter,  Margaret  found  herself,  with  the  little 
prince,  a  helpless  fugitive.  There  were  only 
eight  persons  to  accompany  her  in  her  flight, 
and  so  defenseless  were  they,  and  such  was  the 
wild  and  lawless  condition  of  the  country,  that 
it  was  said  her  party  was  stopped  while  on  their 
way  to  Wales,  and  the  queen  was  robbed  of  all 
her  jewels  and  other  valuables.  Both  she  and 
the  prince  would  very  probably,  too,  have  been 
made  prisoners  and  sent  to  London,  had  it  not 
been  that,  while  the  marauders  were  busy  with 
their  plunder,  she  contrived  to  make  her  escape. 

She  remained  a  very  short  time  in  Wales, 
and  then  proceeded  by  sea  to  Scotland,  where 
her  party,  and  she  herself  personally,  had  pow- 


232         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1460. 

The  queen  re-enters  England.          Success.          Movement  of  the  duke. 

erful  friends.  By  the  aid  of  these  friends,  and 
through  the  influence  of  the  indomitable  spirit 
and  resolution  which  she  displayed,  she  was 
soon  supplied  with  a  new  force.  At  the  head 
of  this  force  she  crossed  the  frontier  into  En- 
gland. The  people  seemed  every  where  to  pity 
her  misfortunes,  and  they  were  so  struck  with 
the  energy  and  courage  she  displayed  in  strug- 
gling against  them,  and  in  braving  the  dreadful 
dangers  which  surrounded  her  in  defense  of  the 
rights  of  her  husband  and  child,  that  they  flock  • 
ed  to  her  standard  from  all  quarters,  and  thus 
in  eight  days  from  the  time  that  the  mandate 
was  issued  from  London  commanding  her  to 
surrender  herself  a  prisoner,  she  appeared  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  city  of  York,  the  largest  and 
strongest  city  in  all  the  north  of  England,  at  the 
head  of  an  overwhelming  force. 

The  Duke  of  York  was  astounded  when  this 
intelligence  reached  him  in  London.  There 
was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost.  He  immediately 
set  out  with  all  the  troops  which  he  could  com- 
mand, and  marched  to  the  northward  to  meet 
the  queen.  At  the  same  time,  he  sent  orders  to 
the  other  leaders  of  his  party,  in  different  parts 
of  England,  to  move  to  the  northward  as  rap- 
idly as  possible,  and  join  him  there. 

The  duke  himself  arrived  first  in  the  vicinity 


1460.]  MARGARET  TRIUMPHANT.       233 

Battle  of  Wakefieli  Death  of  the  Duke  of  York. 

of  the  queen's  army,  but  he  thought  he  was  not 
strong  enough  to  attack  her,  and  he  according- 
ly concluded  to  wait  until  his  re-enforcements 
should  come  up.  The  queen  advanced  with  a 
much  superior  force  to  meet  him.  The  two  ar- 
mies came  together  near  the  town  of  Wakefield, 
and  here,  after  some  delay,  during  which  the 
queen  continually  challenged  the  duke  to  come 
out  from  his  walls  and  fortifications  to  meet  her, 
and  defied  and  derided  him  with  many  taunts 
and  reproaches,  a  great  battle  was  finally  fought. 
Margaret's  troops  were  victorious.  Two  thou- 
sand out  of  five  thousand  of  the  duke's  troops 
were  left  dead  upon  the  field,  and  the  duke  him- 
self was  slain ! 

Margaret's  heart  was  filled  with  the  wildest 
exultation  and  joy  when  she  heard  that  her  in- 
veterate and  hated  foe  at  last  was  dead.  She 
could  scarcely  restrain  her  excitement.  One  of 
the  nobles  of  her  party,  Lord  Clifford,  whose 
father  had  been  killed  in  a  previous  battle  un- 
der circumstances  of  great  atrocity,  cut  off  the 
duke's  head  from  his  body,  and  carried  it  to 
Margaret  on  the  end  of  a  pike.  She  was  for  a 
moment  horror-stricken  at  the  ghastly  specta- 
cle, and  turned  her  face  away ;  but. she  finally 
ordered  the  head  to  be  set  up  upon  a  pole  on 
the  walls  of  York,  in  view  of  all  beholders. 

A  young  son  of  the  duke's,  the  Earl  of  But- 


234         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1460. 


Murder  of  his  son.  Margaret's  cruelties.  Her  exultation. 

land,  who  was  then  about  twelve  years  old,  was 
also  killed,  or  rather  massacred,  on  the  field  of 
battle,  after  the  fight  was  over,  as  he  was  en- 
deavoring to  make  his  escape,  under  the  care 
of  his  tutor,  to  a  castle  near,  where  he  would 
have  been  safe.  This  was  the  castle  of  Sandal. 
If.  was  a  very  strong  place,  and  was  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  Duke  of  York's  party.  The  poor 
boy  was  cut  down  mercilessly  by  the  same  Lord 
Cliiford  who  has  already  been  spoken  of,  not- 
withstanding all  that  his  tutor  could  do  to  save 
him. 

Other  most  atrocious  murders  were  commit- 
ted at  the  close  of  this  battle.  The  Earl  of  Sal- 
isbury was  beheaded,  and  his  head  was  set  up 
upon  a  pike  on  the  walls  of  York,  by  the  side 
of  the  duke's.  Margaret  was  almost  beside  her- 
self at  the  results  of  this  victory.  Her  armies 
triumphant,  the  great  leader  of  the  party  of  her 
enemies,  the  man  who  had  been  for  years  her 
dread  and  torment,  slain,  and  all  his  chief  con- 
federates either  killed  or  taken  prisoners,  and 
nothing  now  apparently  in  the  way  to  prevent 
her  marching  in  triumph  to  London,  liberating 
her  husband  from  his  thraldom,  and  taking 
complete  and  undisputed  possession  of  the  su- 
preme power,  there  seemed,  so  far  as  the  pros- 
pect now  before  her  was  concerned,  to  be  noth- 
ing more  to  desire. 


1460.]      MARGARET  AN  EXILE.          237 


A  new  reverse. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
MARGARET  AN  EXILE. 

BRIGHT  as  were  the  hopes  and  prospects  of 
Margaret  after  the  battle  of  Wakefield,  a 
few  short  months  were  sufficient  to  involve  her 
cause  again  in  the  deepest  darkness  "^.d  £!?om. 
The  battle  of  Wakefield,  and  the  death  of  the 
Duke  of  York,  took  place  near  the  last  of  De- 
cember, in  1460.  In  March,  three  months  later, 
Margaret  was  an  exile  from  England,  outlawed 
by  the  supreme  power  of  the  realm,  and  placed 
under  such  a  ban  that  it  was  forbidden  to  all 
the  people  of  England  to  have  any  communi- 
cation with  her. 

This  fatal  result  was  brought  about,  in  a  great 
measure,  by  the  reaction  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  the  country,  which  resulted  from  the 
shocking  cruelties  perpetrated  by  her  and  by 
her  party  after  the  battle  of  Wakefield.  The 
accounts  of  these  transactions  spread  through 
the  kingdom,  and  awakened  a  universal  feel- 
ing of  disgust  and  abhorrence.  It  was  said  that 
when  Lord  Clifford  carried  the  head  of  the  Duke 
of  York  to  Margaret  on  the  point  of  a  lance, 


238         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1460. 

Head  of  the  Duke  of  York.     The  country  shocked.    Margaret's  ferocity. 

followed  by  a  crowd  of  other  knights  and  no- 
bles, he  said  to  her, 

"  Look,  madam !  The  war  is  over  1  Here  is 
the  ransom  for  the  king!" 

Then  all  the  by-standers  raised  a  shout  of 
exultation,  and  began  pointing  at  the  ghastly 
head,  with  mockings  and  derisive  laughter. 
They  had  put  a  paper  crown  upon  the  head, 
which  they  seemed  to  think  produced  a  comic 
effect.  The  queen,  though  at  first  she  averted 
her  face,  soon  turned  back  again  toward  the 
horrid  trophy,  and  laughed,  with  the  rest,  at  the 
ridiculous  effect  produced  by  the  paper  crown. 

The  murder,  too,  of  the  innocent  child,  the 
duke's  younger  son,  produced  a  great  and  very 
powerful  sensation  throughout  the  land.  The 
queen,  though  she  had  not,  perhaps,  command- 
ed this  deed,  still  made  herself  an  accessory  by 
commending  it  and  exulting  over  it.  The  fe- 
rocious hate  with  which  she  was  animated 
against  all  the  family  of  her  fallen  foe  was  also 
shown  by  another  circumstance,  and  that  was, 
that  when  she  commanded  the  two  heads,  viz., 
that  of  the  Duke  of  York  and  that  of  the  Earl 
of  Salisbury,  to  be  set  upon  the  city  walls,  she 
ordered  that  a  space  should  be  left  between 
them  for  two  other  heads,  one  of  which  was  to 
be  that  of  Edward,  the  oldest  son  of  the  Duke 


1460.]      MARGARET  AN  EXILE.         239 

The  duke's  heir.  Edward. 

of  York,  who  was  still  alive,  not  having  been 
present  at  the  battle  of  Wakefield,  and  who,  of 
course,  now  inherited  the  title  and  the  claims 
of  his  father. 

This  young  Edward  was  at  this  time  about 
nineteen  years  of  age.  His  title  had  been  hith- 
erto the  Earl  of  March,  and  he  would,  of  course, 
now  become  the  Duke  of  York,  only  he  chose 
to  assume  that  of  King  of  England.  He  was  a 
young  man  of  great  energy  of  character,  and  he 
was  sustained,  of  course,  by  all  his  father's  par- 
ty, who  now  transferred  their  allegiance  to  him. 
Indeed,  their  zeal  in  his  service  was  redoubled 
by  the  terrible  resentment  and  the  thirst  for 
vengeance  which  the  cruelties  of  the  queen 
awakened  in  their  minds.  Edward  immediate- 
ly put  himself  in  motion  with  all  the  troops 
that  he  could  command.  He  was  in  the  west- 
ern part  of  England  at  the  time  of  his  father's 
death,  and  he  immediately  began  to  move  to- 
ward the  coast  in  order  to  intercept  Margaret 
on  her  march  toward  London. 

At  the  same  time,  the  Earl  of  Warwick  ad- 
vanced from  London  itself  to  the  northward  to 
meet  the  queen,  taking  with  him  the  king,  who 
had  up  to  this  time  remained  in  London.  The 
armies  of  Warwick  and  of  the  queen  came  into 
the  vicinity  of  each  other  not  far  from  St.  Al- 


240         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1460. 

Battle  at  St.  Al ban's.    Warwick  defeated.    Henry  abandoned.    Is  saved. 

ban's,  before  the  young  Duke  of  York  came  up, 
and  a  desperate  battle  was  fought.  Warwick's 
army  was  composed  chiefly  of  men  hastily  got 
together  in  London,  and  they  were  no  match 
for  the  experienced  and  sturdy  soldiers  which 
Margaret  had  brought  with  her  from  the  Scot- 
tish frontier.  They  were  entirely  defeated. 
They  fought  all  day,  but  at  night  they  dis- 
persed in  all  directions,  and  in  the  hurry  and 
confusion  of  their  flight  they  left  the  poor  king 
behind  them. 

During  the  battle  Margaret  did  not  know 
that  her  husband  was  on  the  ground.  But  at 
night,  as  soon  as  Henry's  keepers  had  abandon- 
ed him,  a  faithful  serving-man  who  remained 
with  him  ran  into  Margaret's  camp,  and  find- 
ing one  of  the  nobles  in  command  there,  he  in- 
formed him  of  the  situation  of  the  king.  The 
noble  immediately  informed  the  queen,  and  she, 
overjoyed  at  the  news,  flew  to  the  place  where 
her  husband  lay,  and,  on  finding  him,  they  em- 
braced each  other  with  the  most  passionate  to- 
kens of  affection  and  joy. 

Margaret  brought  the  little  prince  to  be  pre- 
sented to  him,  and  then  they  all  together  pro- 
ceeded to  the  abbey  at  St.  Alban's,  where  apart- 
ments were  provided  for  them.  They  first, 
however,  went  to  the  church,  in  order  to  re- 


1460.]      MARGARET  AN  EXILE. 

The  abbey.  Great  excitement  The  psople  alarmed. 

turn  thanks  publicly  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
king. 

They  were  received  at  the  door  of  the  church 
by  the  abbot  and  the  monks,  who  welcomed 
them  with  hymns  of  praise  and  thanksgiving 
as  they  approached.  After  the  ceremonies  had 
been  performed,  they  went  to  the  apartments 
in  the  abbey  which  had  been  provided  for 
them,  intending  to  devote  some  days  to  quiet 
and  repose. 

In  the  mean  time  the  excitement  through- 
out the  country  continued  and  increased.  The 
queen  perpetrated  fresh  cruelties,  ordering  the 
execution  of  all  the  principal  leaders  from  the 
other  side  that  fell  into  her  hands.  She  alien- 
ated the  minds  of  the  people  from  her  cause 
by  not  restraining  her  troops  from  plundering ; 
arid,  in  order  to  obtain  money  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  her  army  and  to  provide  them  with 
food,  she  made  requisitions  upon  the  towns 
through  which  she  passed,  and  otherwise  har- 
assed the  people  of  the  country  by  fines  and 
confiscations. 

The  people  were  at  length  so  exasperated  by 
these  high-handed  proceedings,  and  by  the  fu 
rious  and  vindictive  spirit  which  Margaret  mani- 
fested in  all  that  she  did,  that  the  current  turn- 
ed altogether  in  favor  of  the  young  Duke  of 

20—16 


242          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Advance  of  Edward.  London.  Battle  of  Towton. 

York.  The  scattered  forces  of  his  party  were 
reassembled.  They  began  soon  to  assume  so 
formidable  an  appearance  that  Margaret  found 
it  would  be  best  for  her  to  retire  toward  the 
north  again.  She  of  course  took  with  her  the 
king  and  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

At  the  same  time,  Edward,  the  young  Duke 
of  York,  advanced  toward  London.  The  whole 
city  was  excited  to  the  highest  pitch  of  enthu- 
siasm at  his  approach.  A  large  meeting  of 
citizens  declared  that  Henry  should  reign  no 
longer,  but  that  they  would  have  Edward  for 
king. 

When  Edward  arrived  in  London  he  was 
received  by  the  whole  population  as  their  de- 
liverer. A  grand  council  of  the  nobles  and 
prelates  was  convened,  and,  after  solemn  delib- 
erations, Henry  was  deposed  and  Edward  was 
declared  king. 

Two  days  after  this  a  great  procession  was 
formed,  at  the  head  of  which  Edward  rode  roy- 
ally to  Westminster  and  took  his  seat  upon  the 
throne. 

Margaret  made  one  more  desperate  effort  to 
retrieve  the  fortunes  of  her  family  by  a  battle 
fought  at  a  place  called  Towton.  This  battle 
was  fought  in  a  snow-storm.  It  was  an  awful 
day.  Margaret's  party  were  entirely  defeated, 


1460.]     MARGARET  AN  EXILE.          24i> 

Flight  of  the  queen.  Alnwick. 

and  nearly  thirty  thousand  of  them  were  left 
dead  upon  the  field. 

As  soon  as  the  result  was  known,  Margaret, 
taking  with  her  her  husband  and  child  and  a 
small  retinue  of  attendants,  fled  to  the  north- 
ward. She  stopped  a  short  time  at  the  Castle 
of  Alnwick,*  a  strong-hold  belonging  to  one 
of  her  friends ;  but,  finding  that  the  forces  op- 
posed to  her  were  gathering  strength  every  day 
and  advancing  toward  her,  and  that  the  coun- 
try generally  was  becoming  more  and  more 
disposed  to  yield  allegiance  to  the  new  king, 
she  concluded  that  it  would  not  be  safe  for  her 
to  remain  in  England  any  longer. 

So,  taking  her  husband  and  the  little  prince 
with  her,  and  also  a  few  personal  attendants, 
she  left  Alnwick,  and  crossed  the  frontier  into 
Scotland,  a  fugitive  and  an  exile,  and  with  no 
hope  apparently  of  ever  being  able  to  enter 
England  again. 

*  See  map  of  the  border  at  the  commencement  of  chap- 
ter xix. 


244         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1461. 

Margaret  in  Scotland.  Her  friends.  The  prince. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 
A  ROYAL  COUSIN. 

AS  soon  as  Margaret  escaped  to  Scotland, 
far  from  being  disheartened  by  her  mis- 
fortunes, she  began  at  once  to  concert  measures 
for  raising  a  new  army  and  going  into  England 
again,  with  a  view  of  making  one  more  effort 
to  recover  her  husband's  throne.  She  knew, 
of  course,  that  there  was  a  large  body  of  nobles, 
and  of  the  people  of  the  country,  who  were  still 
faithful  to  her  husband's  cause,  and  who  would 
be  ready  to  rally  round  his  standard  whenever 
and  wherever  it  should  appear.  All  that  she 
required  was  the  nucleus  of  an  army  at  the  out- 
set, and  a  tolerably  successful  beginning  in  en- 
tering the  country.  There  were  knights  and 
nobles,  and  great  numbers  of  men,  every  where 
ready  to  join  her  as  soon  as  she  should  appear, 
but  they  were  nowhere  strong  enough  to  com- 
mence a  movement  on  their  own  responsibility. 
One  of  the  measures  which  she  adopted  for 
strengthening  her  interest  with  the  royal  fami- 
ly of  Scotland  was  to  negotiate  a  marriage  be- 
tween the  young  prince,  who  was  now  seven 


1461.]         A  ROYAL  COUSIN.  245 

Messengers  sent  to  France.  Their  letter. 

years  old,  and  a  Scotch  princess.  She  succeed- 
ed in  conditionally  arranging  this  marriage,  but 
she  found  that  she  could  not  raise  troops  for  a 
second  invasion  of  England. 

In  the  mean  time,  she  had  sent  three  noble- 
men as  her  messengers  into  France,  to  see  what 
could  be  done  in  that  country.  France  was  her 
native  land,  and  the  king  at  that  time,  Charles 
VII.,  was  her  uncle.  She  had  strong  reason  to 
hope,  therefore,  that  she  might  find  aid  and  sym- 
pathy there.  Toward  the  close  of  the  summer, 
however,  she  received  a  letter  from  two  of  her 
messengers  at  Dieppe  which  was  not  at  all  en- 
couraging. 

The  letter  began  by  saying,  on  the  part  of 
the  messengers,  that  they  had  already  written 
to  Margaret  three  times  before ;  once  by  the  re- 
turn of  the  vessel,  called  the  Carvel,  in  which 
they  went  to  France,  and  twice  from  Dieppe, 
where  they  then  were,  but  all  the  letters  were 
substantially  to  communicate  the  same  evil  ti- 
dings, namely,  that  the  king,  her  uncle,  was 
dead,  and  that  her  cousin  had  succeeded  to  the 
throne,  but  that  the  new  king  seemed  not  at  all 
disposed  to  regard  her  cause  favorably.  His 
officers  at  Dieppe  had  caused  all  their  papers  to 
be  seized  and  taken  to  the  king,  and  he  had 
shut  up  one  of  their  number  in  the  castle  of 


246         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1461. 

The  messengers'  advice  to  the  queen.       Their  professions  and  promises. 

Arques,  which  is  situated  at  a  short  distance 
from  Dieppe.  He  had  been  apparently  pre- 
vented from  imprisoning  the  other  two  by  their 
having  been  provided  with  a  safe  -  conduct, 
which  protected  them. 

Furthermore,  the  writers  of  the  letter  bade 
the  queen  keep  up  good  courage,  and  advised 
her,  for  the  present,  to  remain  quietly  where  she 
was.  She  must  not,  they  said,  venture  herself, 
or  the  little  prince,  upon  the  sea  in  an  attempt 
to  come  to  France,  unless  she  found  herself  ex- 
posed to  great  danger  in  remaining  in  Scotland. 
They  wished  her  to  notify  the  king,  too,  who 
they  supposed  was  at  that  time  secreted  in 
Wales,  for  they  had  heard  that  the  Earl  of 
March — they  would  not  call  him  King  of  En- 
gland, but  still  designated  him  by  his  old  name 
— was  going  into  Wales  with  an  army  to  look 
for  him. 

They  said,  in  conclusion,  that  as  soon  as  they 
were  set  at  liberty  they  should  immediately 
come  to  the  queen  in  Scotland.  Nothing  but 
death  would  prevent  their  rejoining  her,  and 
they  devoutly  hoped  and  believed  that  they 
should  not  be  called  to  meet  with  death  until 
they  could  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  her 
husband  the  king  and  herself  once  more  in 
peaceable  possession  of  their  realm. 


1461.]          A  EOYAL  COUSIN.  247 


The  letter  itself. 


But  the  reader  may  perhaps  like  to  peruse 
the  letter  itself  in  the  words  in  which  it  was 
written.  It  is  a  very  good  specimen  of  the  form 
in  which  the  English  language  was  written  in 
those  days,  though  it  seems  very  quaint  and 
old-fashioned  now.  It  was  as  follows : 

"MADAM, — Please  your  good  God,  we  have, 
since  our  coming  hither,  written  to  your  high- 
ness thrice ;  once  by  the  carvel  in  which  we 
came,  the  other  two  from  Dieppe.  But,  madam, 
it  was  all  one  thing  in  substance,  putting  you  in 
knowledge  of  your  uncle's  death,  whom  (rod  as- 
soil,  and  how  we  stood  arrested,  and  do  yet. 
But  on  Tuesday  next  we  shall  up  to  the  king, 
your  cousin-german.  His  commissaires,  at  the 
first  of  our  tarrying,  took  all  our  letters  and 
writings,  and  bore  them  up  to  the  king,  leaving 
my  Lord  of  Somerset  in  keeping  at  the  castle  of 
Arques,  and  my  fellow  Whyttingham  and  me 
(for  we  had  safe-conduct)  in  the  town  of  Dieppe, 
where  we  are  yet. 

"  Madam,  fear  not,  but  be  of  good  comfort, 
and  beware  ye  venture  not  your  person,  nor 
my  lord  the  prince,  by  sea,  till  ye  have  other 
word  from  us,  unless  your  person  can  not  be 
sure  where  ye  are,  and  extreme  necessity  drive 
ye  thence. 


248         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1461. 

Fidelity.  Suspense.  King  Louis  XL 

"  And,  for  God's  sake,  let  the  king's  highness 
be  advised  of  the  same ;  for,  as  we  are  informed, 
the  Earl  of  March  is  into  Wales  by  land,  and 
hath  sent  his  navy  thither  by  sea. 

"And,  madam,  think  verily,  as  soon  as  w« 
be  delivered,  we  shall  come  straight  to  you, 
unless  death  take  us  by  the  way,  which  we 
trust  he  will  not  till  we  see  the  king  and  you 
peaceably  again  in  your  realm;  the  which  we 
beseech  God  soon  to  see,  and  to  send  you  that 
your  highness  desireth.  Written  at  Dieppe  the 
30th  day  of  August,  1461. 

"  Your  true  subjects  and  liegemen, 

"  HUNGERFORD  AND  WHYTTINGHAM." 

Margaret  remained  through  the  winter  in 
Scotland,  anxiously  endeavoring  to  devise 
means  to  rebuild  her  fallen  fortunes.  But  all 
was  in  vain ;  no  light  or  hope  appeared.  At 
length,  when  the  spring  opened,  she  determined 
to  go  herself  to  France  and  see  the  king  her 
cousin,  in  hopes  that,  by  her  presence  at  the 
court,  and  her  personal  influence  over  the  king, 
something  might  be  done. 

The  king  her  cousin  had  been  her  playmate 
in  their  childhood.  He  was  the  son  of  Mary, 
her  father  Rene's  sister.  Mary  and  Rene  had 
been  very  strongly  attached  to  each  other,  and 


1461.]         A  EOYAL  COUSIN.  249 

Want  of  funds.  Gratitude.  Voyage  to  France. 

the  children  had  been  brought  up  much  to- 
gether. Margaret  now  hoped  that,  on  seeing 
her  again  in  her  present  forlorn  and  helpless 
condition,  his  former  friendship  for  her  would 
revive,  and  that  he  would  do  something  to  aid 
her. 

She  was,  however,  entirely  destitute  of  mon- 
ey, and  she  would  have  found  it  very  difficult 
to  contrive  the  means  of  getting  to  France,  had 
it  not  been  for  the  kindness  of  a  French  mer- 
chant who  resided  in  Scotland,  and  whom  she 
had  known  in  former  years  in  Nancy,  in  Lor- 
raine, where  she  had  rendered  him  some  serv- 
ice. The  merchant  had  since  acquired  a  large 
fortune  in  commercial  operations  between  Scot- 
land and  Flanders  which  he  conducted.  la 
his  prosperity  he  did  not  forget  the  kindness 
he  had  received  from  the  queen  in  former 
years,  and,  now  that  she  was  in  want  and  ii» 
distress,  he  came  forward  promptly  to  relieve 
her.  He  furnished  her  with  the  funds  neces- 
sary for  her  voyage,  and  provided  a  vessel  to 
convey  her  and  her  attendants  to  the  coast  of 
France.  She  sailed  from  the  port  of  Kirkcud- 
bright, on  the  western  coast  of  Scotland,  and 
so  passed  down  through  the  Irish  Sea  and  St. 
George's  Channel,  thus  avoiding  altogether  the 
Straits  of  Dover,  where  she  would  have  incur- 


250         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1462. 

Funds  exhausted.  Missed  by  her  frienda. 

red  danger  of  being  intercepted  by  the  English 
men-of-war. 

She  took  the  young  prince  with  her.  The 
king  it  was  thought  best  to  leave  behind. 

So  great  were  the  number  of  persons  de- 
pendent upon  the  queen,  and  so  urgent  were 
their  necessities,  that  all  the  funds  which  the 
French  merchant  had  furnished  her  were  ex- 
hausted on  her  arrival  in  France.  She  found, 
moreover,  that  the  three  friends,  the  noblemen 
whom  she  had  sent  to  France  the  summer  be- 
fore, and  from  whom  she  had  received  the  let- 
ter we  have  quoted,  had  left  that  country  and 
gone  to  Scotland  to  seek  her.  They  had  pro- 
vided themselves  with  a  vessel,  in  which  they 
intended  to  take  the  queen  away  from  Scotland 
and  convey  her  to  some  place  of  safety,  not 
knowing  that  she  had  herself  embarked  for 
France.  They  must  have  passed  the  queen's 
vessel  on  the  way,  unless,  indeed,  which  is  very 
probably  the  case,  they  went  up  the  Channel 
and  through  the  Straits  of  Dover,  thus  taking 
an  altogether  different  route  from  that  chosen 
by  the  queen. 

When  they  reached  Scotland  they  hovered 
on  the  coast  a  long  time,  endeavoring  to  find  an 
opportunity  to  communicate  with  her  secretly  ; 
but  at  length  they  learned  that  she  was  gone. 


1462.] 


A  EOYAL  COUSIN. 


251 


She  goes  to  France. 


Louis  XL 


In  the  mean  time,  Margaret,  having  arrived 
in  France,  borrowed  some  money  of  the  Duke 
of  Brittany,  in  whose  dominions  it  would  seem 
she  first  landed.  With  this  money  Margaret 
supplied  the  most  pressing  wants  of  her  party, 
and  also  made  arrangements  for  pursuing  her 
journey  into  the  country,  to  the  town  in  Nor- 
mandy where  her  cousin  the  king  was  then  re- 
siding. 


LOUIS  XL,  MAEOAP.KT'S  COUSIN. 

It  is  said  that,  on  arriving  at  the  court  of  the 


252          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.    [1462. 

Negotiations.  Mortgage  of  Calais. 

king  and  obtaining  admission  to  his  majesty's 
presence,  Margaret  took  the  young  prince  by 
the  hand,  and,  throwing  herself  down  at  her 
cousin's  feet,  she  implored  him,  with  many  tears, 
to  take  pity  upon  her  forlorn  and  wretched  con- 
dition, and  that  of  her  unhappy  husband,  and 
to  aid  her  in  her  efforts  to  recover  his  throne. 

But  the  king,  with  true  royal  heartlessness, 
was  unmoved  by  her  distress,  and  manifested 
no  disposition  to  espouse  her  cause. 

Some  negotiations,  however,  ensued,  at  the 
close  of  which  the  king  promised  to  loan  her 
a  sum  of  money — for  a  consideration.  The 
consideration  was  that  she  was  to  convey  to  him 
the  port  and  town  of  Calais,  which  was  still  held 
by  the  English,  and  was  considered  a  very  im- 
portant and  very  valuable  possession,  or  else  pay 
back  double  the  money  which  she  borrowed. 

Thus  it  was  not  an  absolute  sale  of  Calais, 
but  only  a  mortgage  of  it,  which  the  queen  ex- 
ecuted. But,  nevertheless,  as  soon  as  this  trans- 
action was  made  known  in  England,  it  excited 
great  indignation  throughout  the  country,  and 
seriously  injured  the  cause  of  the  queen.  The 
people  accused  her  of  being  ready  to  alienate 
the  possessions  of  the  crown,  possessions  which 
it  had  cost  so  much  both  in  blood  and  treasure 
to  procure. 


1462.]          A  EOYAL  COUSIN.  253 

Doubtful  security.  Conditions. 

Of  course,  the  security  which  the  king  ob- 
tained for  his  loan  was  of  a  somewhat  doubtful 
character,  for  Margaret's  mortgage  deed  of  Cal- 
ais, although  she  gave  it  in  King  Henry's  name, 
and  was  careful  to  state  in  it  that  she  was  ex- 
pressly authorized  by  him  to  make  it,  was  of  no 
force  at  all  so  long  as  Edward  of  York  reigned 
in  England,  and  was  acknowledged  by  the  peo- 
ple as  the  rightful  king.  It  was  only  in  the 
event  of  Margaret's  succeeding  in  recovering 
the  throne  for  her  husband  that  the  mortgage 
could  take  effect.  The  deed  which  she  executed 
stipulated  that,  as  soon  as  King  Henry  should 
be  restored  to  his  kingdom,  he  would  appoint 
one  of  two  persons  named,  in  whom  the  King 
of  France  had  confidence,  as  governor  of  the 
town,  with  authority  to  deliver  it  up  to  the 
King  of  France  in  one  year  in  case  she  did  not 
within  that  time  pay  back  double  the  sum  of 
money  borrowed. 

He  seemed  to  think  that,  considering  the 
great  risk  he  was  taking,  a  hundred  per  cent 
per  annum  was  not  an  exorbitant  usury. 


254         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU. 

Margaret  finds  a  friend.  Account  of  Brec& 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
KETURN  TO  ENGLAND. 

MAKGAKET  found  one  friend  in  France, 
who  seems  to  have  espoused  her  cause 
from  a  sentiment  of  sincere  and  disinterested 
attachment  to  her.  This  was  a  certain  knight 
named  Pierre  de  Braze*.*  He  was  an  officer  of 
high  rank  in  the  government  of  Normandy, 
and  a  man  of  very  considerable  influence 
among  the  distinguished  personages  of  those 
times. 

Margaret  had  known  him  intimately  many 
years  before.  He  was  appointed  one  of  the 
commissioners  on  the  French  side  to  negotiate, 
with  Suffolk  and  the  others,  the  terms  of  Mar- 
garet's marriage,  and  he  had  taken  a  very  prom' 
inent  part  in  the  tournaments  and  other  cel- 
ebrations which  took  place  in  honor  of  the 
wedding  before  Margaret  left  her  native  land. 
When  he  now  saw  the  poor  queen  coming  back 
to  France  an  exile,  bereft  of  friends,  of  resources, 
and  almost  of  hope,  the  interest  which  he  had 
felt  for  her  in  former  years  was  revived.  It  u 
*  Pronounced  Brezzay. 


1462.]      RETURN  TO  ENGLAND.         255 


He  enters  the  queen's  service. 


said  that  he  fell  in  love  with  her.  However 
this  may  be,  it  is  certain  that  Margaret's  great 
beauty  must  have  had  a  very  important  influ- 
ence in  deepening  the  sentiment  of  compassion 
which  the  misfortunes  of  the  poor  fugitive  were 
so  well  calculated  to  inspire.  At  any  rate, 
Breze  entered  at  once  into  the  queen's  service 


256         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1462. 

Margaret's  plans.  She  goes  to  England.  Hurried  flight. 

with  great  enthusiasm.  He  brought  with  him 
a  force  of  two  thousand  men.  With  this  army, 
and  with  the  money  which  she  had  borrowed 
of  King  Louis,  Margaret  resolved  to  make  one 
more  attempt  to  recover  her  husband's  king- 
dom. 

At  length,  in  the  month  of  October,  1462, 
five  months  after  she  arrived  in  France,  she  set 
sail  with  a  small  number  of  vessels,  containing 
the  soldiers  that  Breze'  had  provided  for  her. 
Her  plan  was  to  land  in  the  north  of  England, 
for  it  was  in  that  part  of  the  country  that  the 
friends  of  the  Lancaster  line  were  most  numer- 
ous and  powerful. 

King  Edward's  government  knew  something 
of  her  plans,  or,  at  least,  suspected  them,  and 
they  stationed  a  fleet  to  watch  for  her  and  in- 
tercept her.  She,  however,  contrived  to  elude 
them,  and  reached  the  shores  of  England  in 
safety. 

The  fleet  approached  the  shore  at  Tynemouth, 
but  the  guns  of  the  forts  were  pointed  against 
her,  and  she  was  forbidden  to  land.  She,  how- 
ever, succeeded,  either  at  that  place  or  at  some 
other  point  along  the  coast,  in  effecting  a  de- 
barkation ;  but  she  was  threatened  so  soon  with 
an  attack  by  a  ,large  army  which  she  heard 
was  approaching,  under  the  command  of  the 


1462.J     RETUKN  TO  ENGLAND.          257 

A  storm.  Ships  wrecked.  Holy  Island. 

Earl  of  Warwick,  that  the  French  troops  fled 
precipitately  to  their  ships,  leaving  Margaret, 
the  prince,  Breze",  and  a  few  others  who  re- 
mained faithful  to  her,  on  shore.  Being  thus 
deserted,  Margaret  and  her  party  were  com- 
pelled to  retreat  too.  They  embarked  on  board 
a  fisherman's  boat,  which  was  the  only  means 
of  conveyance  left  to  them,  and  in  this  manner 
made  their  way  to  Berwick,  which  town  was 
in  the  possession  of  her  friends. 

They  were  long  in  reaching  Berwick,  being 
detained  by  a  storm.  The  storm,  however, 
caused  Margaret  a  much  greater  injury  than 
mere  detention.  The  ships  in  which  the  French 
soldiers  had  fled  were  caught  by  it  off  a  range 
of  rocky  cliffs  lying  between  Tynemouth  and 
Berwick,  the  most  prominent  of  which  is  called 
Bamborough  Head.  The  ships  were  driven 
upon  the  rocks  and  rocky  islands  which  lay 
along  the  shore,  and  there  broken  to  pieces  by 
the  sea  which  rolled  in  upon  them  from  the 
offing.  All  the  stores,  and  provisions,  and 
munitions  of  war  which  Margaret  had  brought 
from  France,  and  which  constituted  almost  her 
sole  reliance  for  carrying  on  the  war,  were  lost. 
Most  of  the  men  saved  themselves,  and  made 
their  escape  to  an  island  that  lay  near,  called 
Holy  Island.  But  here  they  were  soon  after- 
20—17 


258         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU.      [1462. 

Margaret's  escape.  Her  spirit  revives.  Battle  of  Hexham. 

ward  attacked  by  a  body  of  Yorkist  troops 
and  cut  to  pieces. 

Margaret  reached  Berwick  in  her  fishing- 
boat  at  last,  bearing  these  terrible  tidings  to  her 
friends  there.  One  would  suppose  that  the  last 
hope  of  her  being  able  to  retrieve  her  fallen 
fortunes  would  now  be  extinguished,  and  that 
she  would  sink  down  in  utter  and  absolute  de- 
spair. 

But  it  was  not  in  Margaret's  nature  to  de- 
spair. The  more  heavily  the  pressure  of  ca- 
lamity and  the  hostility  of  her  foes  weighed 
upon  her,  the  more  fierce  and  determined  was 
the  spirit  of  resistance  which  they  aroused  in 
her  bosom.  In  this  instance,  instead  of  yield- 
ing to  dejection  and  despondency,  she  began 
at  once  to  take  measures  for  assembling  a  new 
force,  and  the  ardor  and  energy  which  she  dis- 
played inspired  all  around  her  with  some  por- 
tion of  her  confidence  and  zeal.  A  new  army 
was  raised  during  the  winter.  Very  early  in 
the  spring  it  took  the  field,  and  a  series  of 
military  operations  followed,  in  which  towns 
and  castles  were  taken  and  retaken,  and  skir- 
mishes fought  all  along  the  Scottish  frontier. 
At  length  the  contending  forces  were  concen- 
trated near  a  place  called  Hexham,  and  a  gen- 
eral battle  ensued.  The  queen's  arm.^  was  de- 


1462.]     RETURN  TO  ENGLAND.         259 

The  king's  escape  The  queen's  danger. 

feated.  The  king,  who  was  in  the  battle,  had 
a  most  narrow  escape.  He  fled  on  horseback — 
for  when  he  was  in  good  bodily  health  he  was 
an  excellent  horseman — but  he  was  so  hotly 
pursued  that  three  of  his  body-guard  were 
taken. 

It  is  mentioned  that  one  of  the  men  thus 
taken  wore  the  king's  cap  of  state,  which  was 
embroidered  with  two  crowns  of  gold,  one  rep- 
resenting the  kingdom  of  England  and  the  other 
that  of  France,  the  title  to  which  country  the 
English  sovereigns  still  pretended  to  claim,  in 
virtue  of  their  former  extended  possessions 
there,  although  pretty  much  all  except  the 
town  of  Calais  was  now  lost. 

Perhaps  the  pursuers  of  the  king's  party 
were  deceived  by  this  royal  cap,  and  took  the 
wearer  of  it  for  the  king.  At  any  rate,  the 
officer  wearing  the  cap  was  taken,  and  the 
king  escaped. 

Immediately  after  the  victory  on  the  field  at 
Hexham,  a  body  of  the  Yorkist  troops  broke 
into  the  camp  where  the  queen  was  quartered, 
and  where,  with  the  young  prince,  she  was 
awaiting  the  result  of  the  battle.  As  soon  as 
the  queen  found  that  the  enemy  were  coming, 
she  seized  the  prince  and  ran  off  with  him,  in 
mortal  terror,  into  a  neighboring  wood.  She 


260         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1462. 

Narrow  escape.  Her  flight  The  robbers. 

knew  well  that,  if  che  child  was  taken,  he  would 
certainly  be  killed.  Indeed,  such  bloody  work 
had  been  made  on  both  sides,  with  assassina- 
tions and  executions  during  the  year  prior  to 
this  time,  that  men's  minds  were  in  the  highest 
state  of  exasperation ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
both  Margaret  herself  and  the  child  would  have 
been  butchered  on  the  spot  if  they  had  re- 
mained in  the  camp  until  the  victorious  troops 
entered  it. 

As  soon  as  Margaret  gained  the  wood  she 
turned  off  into  the  most  obscure  and  solitary 
paths  that  she  could  find,  thinking  of  nothing 
but  to  escape  from  her  pursuers,  who,  she  im- 
agined in  her  fright,  were  close  behind.  At 
length,  after  wandering  about  in  this  manner 
for  some  time,  she  fell  in  with  a  company  of 
men  in  the  wood,  who  were  either  a  regular 
band  of  robbers,  or  were  tempted  to  become 
robbers  on  that  occasion  by  the  richness  of  the 
stranger's  dress,  and  by  the  articles  of  jewelry 
and  other  decorations  which  she  wore ;  for,  al- 
though Margaret's  means  were  extremely  lim- 
ited, she  still  maintained,  in  some  degree,  the 
bearing  and  the  appointments  of  a  queen. 

The  men  at  once  stopped  her,  and  began  to 
olunder  her  and  the  prince  of  every  thing  which 
they  could  take  from  them  that  appeared  to  be 


1462.]      RETURN  TO  ENGLAND.         261 

An  escape.          Alone  in  the  woods.          Night.          A  stranger  appears. 

of  value.  As  soon  as  they  had  possessed  them- 
selves of  this  plunder  they  began  to  quarrel 
about  it  among  themselves.  Margaret  remain- 
ed standing  near,  in  great  anxiety  and  distress, 
until  presently,  watching  her  opportunity,  she 
caught  up  the  prince  in  her  arms  and  slipped 
away  into  the  adjoining  thickets. 

She  ran  forward  as  fast  as  she  could  go  until 
she  supposed  herself  out  of  the  reach  of  pursuit 
from  the  robbers,  and  then  looked  for  a  place 
in  the  densest  part  of  the  wood  where  she  could 
hide,  with  the  intention  of  remaining  there  un- 
til night.  Her  plan  was  then  to  find  her  way 
out  of  the  wood,  and  so  wander  on  until  she 
should  come  to  the  residence  of  some  one  of 
her  friends,  who  she  might  hope  would  harbor 
and  conceal  her. 

She  accordingly  continued  in  her  hiding- 
place  until  evening  came  on,  and  then,  having 
recovered  in  some  degree,  by  this  interval  of 
rest,  from  the  excitement,  fatigue,  and  terror 
which  she  had  endured,  she  came  out  into  a 
path  again,  leading  little  Edward  by  the  hand. 
The  moon  was  shining,  and  this  enabled  her  to 
see  where  to  go. 

After  wandering  on  for  some  time,  she  waa 
alarmed  by  the  apparition  of  a  tall  man,  armed, 
who  suddenly  appeared  in  the  pathway  at  a 


262          MARGARET  OF    A.NJOU.     [1462. 

Margaret's  appeal  to  the  stranger.  The  outlaw's  cave, 

short  distance  before  her.  She  had  no  doubt 
that  this  was  another  robber.  It  was  too  late 
for  her  to  attempt  to  fly  from  him.  He  was 
too  near  to  allow  her  any  chance  of  escape.  In 
this  extremity,  she  conceded  the  idea  of  throw- 
ing herself  upon  his  generosity  as  her  last  and 
only  hope.  So  she  advanced  boldly  toward 
him,  leading  the  little  prince  by  the  hand,  and 
said  to  him,  presenting  the  prince, 

"My  friend,  this  is  the  son  of  your  king! 
Save  him!" 

The  man  appeared  astonished.  In  a  mo- 
ment he  laid  his  sword  down  at  Margaret's 
feet  in  token  of  submission  to  her,  and  then 
immediately  offered  to  conduct  her  and  the 
prince  to  a  place  of  safety.  He  also  explained 
to  her  that  he  was  one  of  her  friends.  He  had 
been  ruined  by  the  war,  and  driven  from  his 
home,  and  was  now,  like  the  queen  herself,  a 
wanderer  and  a  fugitive.  He  had  taken  pos- 
session of  a  cave  in  the  wood,  and  there  he  was 
now  living  with  his  wife  as  an  outlaw.  He 
led  Margaret  and  the  prince  to  the  cave,  where 
they  were  received  by  his  wife,  and  entertained 
with  such  hospitalities  as  a  home  so  gloomy 
and  comfortless  could  afford. 

Margaret  remained  an  inmate  of  this  cave 
for  two  days.  The  place  is  known  to  this  day 


1462.]      RETURN  TO  ENGLAND.         265 

Appearance  of  the  cave.       Margaret  concealed  in  it.       A  friend  found. 

as  Margaret's  Cave.  It  stands  in  a  very  se- 
cluded spot  on  the  banks  of  a  small  stream. 
The  ground  around  it  is  now  open,  but  in  Mar- 
garet's time  it  was  in  the  midst  of  the  forest. 
The  entrance  to  the  cave  is  very  low.  Within, 
it  is  high  enough  for  a  man  to  stand  upright. 
It  is  about  thirty-four  feet  long,  and  half  as 
wide.  There  are  some  appearances  of  its  hav- 
ing been  once  divided  by  a  wall  into  two  sep- 
arate apartments. 

For  two  days  Margaret  remained  in  the  cave, 
suffering,  of  course,  the  extreme  of  suspense  and 
anxiety  all  the  time,  being  in  great  solicitude 
to  hear  from  her  friends,  the  nobles  and  gen- 
erals who  had  been  defeated  with  her  in  the 
battle.  Her  host  made  diligent  though  secret 
inquiries,  but  could  gain  no  tidings.  At  length, 
on  the  morning  of  the  third  day,  to  Margaret's 
infinite  relief  and  joy,  he  came  in  bringing  with 
him  De  Breze  himself,  with  his  squire,  whose 
name  was  Barville,  and  an  English  gentleman 
who  had  escaped  with  De  Brezd  from  the  bat- 
tle, and  had  since  been  wandering  about  with 
him,  looking  every  where  for  the  queen.  Mar- 
garet was  for  the  moment  overjoyed  to  see 
these  friends  again,  but  her  exultation  was 
soon  succeeded  by  the  deepest  grief  at  hearing 
the  terrible  accounts  they  gave  of  the  death  of 


266         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1462. 

Margaret's  anger  turned  to  grief.  They  leave  the  cave. 

her  nearest  friends,  some  of  whom  had  been 
killed  in  the  battle,  and  others  had  been  taken  • 
prisoners  and  cruelly  executed  immediately  aft 
erward.  Up  to  this  time,  through  all  the  dan- 
ger and  suffering  which  she  had  endured  since 
the  battle,  she  had  been  either  in  a  state  of 
stupor,  or  else  filled  with  resentment  and  rage 
against  her  enemies,  and  she  had  not  shed  a 
tear ;  but  now  grief  for  the  loss  of  these  dear 
and  faithful  friends  seemed  to  take  the  place 
of  all  other  emotions,  and  she  wept  a  long  time 
as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

Margaret  learned,  however,  from  her  friends 
that  the  king  had  made  his  escape,  and  was 
probably  in  a  place  of  safety,  and  this  gave 
her  great  consolation.  It  was  thought  that  the 
king  had  succeeded  in  making  his  way  to  Scot 
land. 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  one  of  the  party 
who  came  with  Breze  went  out  into  the  neigh- 
boring villages  to  see  if  he  could  learn  any  new 
tidings,  and  before  long  he  returned  bringing 
with  him  several  nobles  of  high  rank  and 
princes  of  the  Lancastrian  line.  Margaret  felt 
much  relieved  to  find  her  party  so  strengthen- 
ed, and  arrangements  were  soon  made  by  the 
whole  party  for  Margaret  to  leave  the  cave 
with  them,  and  endeavor  to  reach  the  Scottish 


1462.]      KETURN  TO  ENGLAND.         267 

Generosity  of  the  outlaw.          The  queen's  gratitude.          The  journey. 

frontier,  which  was  not  much  more,  in  a  direct 
line,  than  thirty  miles  from  where  they  were. 

Before  they  departed  from  the  cave  Marga- 
ret expressed  her  thanks  very  earnestly  to  the 
outlaw  and  his  wife  for  their  kindness  in  re- 
ceiving her  and  the  little  prince  into  their  cave, 
and  in  doing  so  much  for  their  comfort  while 
there,  although  by  so  doing  they  not  only  en- 
croached very  much  upon  their  own  slender 
means  of  support,  but  also  incurred  a  very  se- 
rious risfc  in  harboring  such  a  fugitive.  Hav- 
ing been  plundered  of  every  thing  by  the  rob- 
bers in  the  wood,  she  had  nothing  but  thanks 
to  return  to  her  kind  protectors.  The  nobles 
who  were  now  with  her  offered  the  wife  of  the 
outlaw  some  money — for  they  had  still  a  small 
supply  of  money  left — but  she  would  not  re- 
ceive it.  They  would  require  all  they  had,  she 
said,  for  themselves,  before  they  reached  Scot- 
land. 

The  queen  was  much  moved  by  this  gener- 
osity, and  she  said  that  of  all  that  she  had  lost 
there  was  nothing  that  she  regretted  so  much 
as  the  power  of  rewarding  such  goodness. 

On  leaving  the  wood  at  Hexham,  the  party, 
instead  of  proceeding  north,  directly  toward  the 
frontier  of  Scotland,  concluded  to  journey  west- 
ward to  Carlisle,  intending  to  take  passage  by 


268         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1462. 

The  journey  to  Kirkcudbright.  Her  anxiety. 

water  from  that  place  through  Solway  to  Kirk- 
cudbright, the  port  from  which  Margaret  had 
sailed  when  she  went  to  France.*  They  were 
obliged  to  use  a  great  many  precautions  in  trav- 
ersing the  country  to  prevent  being  discover- 
ed. The  party  consisted  of  Margaret  and  the 
young  prince,  attended  by  Breze  and  his  squire, 
and  also  by  the  man  of  the  cave,  who  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  country,  and  acted  as  guide. 
They  reached  Carlisle  in  safety,  and  there  em- 
barked on  board  a  vessel,  which  took  them 
down  the  Firth  and  landed  them  in  Kirkcud- 
bright. 

Though  now  out  of  England,  Margaret  did 
not  feel  much  more  at  ease  than  before,  for 
during  her  absence  in  France  a  treaty  had  been 
made  between  King  Edward  and  the  Scottish 
king  which  would  prevent  the  latter  from  open- 
ly harboring  her  in  his  dominions ;  so  she  was 
obliged  to  keep  closely  concealed. 

*  See  the  map  at  the  commencement  of  this  chapter. 


1462.]  YEARS  OF  EXILE.  269 

They  are  discovered.  An  abduction. 


CHAPTER  XX. 
YEARS  OF  EXILE. 

MARGARET  had  not  been  long  in  Kirk- 
cudbright  before  she  was  accidentally 
seen  by  a  man  who  knew  her.  This  man  was 
an  Englishman.  His  name  was  Cork.  He 
was  of  the  Yorkist  party.  He  said  nothing 
when  he  saw  the  queen,  but  he  immediately 
formed  the  resolution  to  seize  her  and  all  her 
party,  and  to  convey  them  to  England  and 
give  them  up  to  King  Edward.  He  contrived 
some  way  to  carry  this  plot  into  execution.  He 
seized  de  Breze  and  his  squire,  and  also  the 
queen  and  the  prince,  and  carried  them  on  board 
a  boat  in  the  night,  having  first  bound  and  gag- 
ged them,  to  disable  them  from  making  resist- 
ance or  uttering  any  cries.  It  seems  that  De 
Breze  was  not  with  the  queen  when  he  was 
taken,  and  as  it  was  dark  when  they  were  put 
on  board  the  boat,  and  neither  could  speak, 
neither  party  knew  that  the  others  were  there 
until  the  morning,  when  they  were  far  away 
from  the  shore,  out  in  the  wide  part  of  the  Sol- 
way  Bay. 

In  the  night,  however,  De  Breze",  who  was  a 


270         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1462. 

De  Brest's  exploit  Tossed  about  in  Solway  Firth. 

man  of  address  and  of  great  personal  strength, 
as  well  as  of  undaunted  bravery,  contrived  to 
get  free  from  his  bonds,  and  also  to  free  his 
squire,  without  letting  the  boatmen  know  what 
he  had  done.  Then,  in  the  morning,  watching 
for  a  good  opportunity,  they  together  rose  upon 
the  boatmen,  seized  the  oars,  and,  after  a  violent 
struggle,  in  which  they  came  very  near  upset- 
ting the  boat,  they  finally  succeeded  in  killing 
some  of  the  men,  and  in  throwing  the  others 
overboard.  They  immediately  liberated  Mar- 
garet and  the  prince,  and  then  attempted  to 
make  for  the  shore. 

After  having  been  tossed  about  for  some  time 
in  the  Gulf  or  Firth  of  Solway,  the  boat  was 
carried  by  the  wind  away  up  through  the  North 
Channel  more  than  sixty  miles,  and  finally  was 
thrown  upon  a  sand-bank  near  the  coast  of  Can- 
tyre,  a  famous  promontory  extending  into  the 
sea  in  this  part  of  Scotland.  The  boat  struck 
at  some  distance  from  the  dry  land,  and  the  sea 
rolled  in  so  heavily  upon  it  that  there  was  dan- 
ger of  its  being  broken  to  pieces ;  so  De  Braze* 
took  the  queen  upon  his  shoulders,  and,  wad- 
ing through  the  water,  conveyed  her  to  the 
shore.  Barville,  the  squire,  carried  the  prince 
in  the  same  way.  And  so  they  were  once  more 
safe  on  land. 


1462.]          YEARS  OF  EXILE.  271 

They  land  in  Scotland.  Arrival  at  the  hamlet. 

They  found  the  coast  wild  and  barren,  and 
the  country  desolate ;  but  this  was  attended 
with  one  advantage  at  least,  and  that  was  that 
the  queen  was  in  little  danger  of  being  recog- 
nized ;  for,  as  one  of  Margaret's  historians  ex- 
presses it,  the  peasants  were  so  ignorant  that 
they  could  not  conceive  of  any  one's  being  a 
queen  unless  she  had  a  crown  upon  her  head 
and  a  sceptre  in  her  hand. 

They  all  went  up  a  little  way  into  the  coun- 
try, and  at  length  found  a  small  hamlet,  where 
Margaret  concluded  to  remain  with  the  prince 
until  De  Breze  could  go  to  Edinburgh  and  learn 
what  the  condition  of  the  country  was,  and  so 
enable  her  to  consider  what  course  to  pursue. 

The  report  which  De  Breze  brought  back  on 
his  return  was  very  discouraging.  Margaret, 
however,  on  hearing  it,  determined  to  go  to  Ed- 
inburgh herself,  to  see  what  she  could  do.  She 
found,  on  her  arrival  there,  that  the  govern- 
ment were  not  willing  to  do  any  thing  more  for 
her.  They  would  furnish  her  with  the  means, 
they  said,  if  she  wished,  of  going  back  to  En- 
gland in  a  quiet  way,  with  a  view  of  seeking  ref- 
uge among  some  of  her  friends  there,  but  that 
was  all  that  they  could  do. 

So  Margaret  went  back  to  England,  and  re- 
mained for  some  little  time  ;xi  the  great  castle 


272          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1462. 

Margaret  reaches  Bamborough.         She,  sails  for  Flanders.         A  etorm. 

of  Bamborough,  which  was  still  in  the  hands 
of  her  friends.  She  tried  here  to  contrive  some 
•way  of  reassembling  her  scattered  adherents  and 
making  a  new  rally,  but  she  found  that  that  ob- 
ject could  not  be  accomplished.  Thus  all  the 
resources  which  could  be  furnished  by  France, 
Scotland,  or  England  for  her  failing  cause  seem- 
ed to  be  exhausted,  and,  after  turning  her  eyes 
in  every  direction  for  help,  she  concluded  to 
cross  the  German  Ocean  into  Flanders,  to  see  if 
she  could  find  any  sympathy  or  succor  there. 

Compared  with  the  number  of  attendants 
that  were  with  her  in  her  flight  into  Scotland, 
the  retinue  of  friends  and  followers  by  which 
she  was  accompanied  in  this  retreat  to  the  Con- 
tinent was  quite  large,  though  it  is  probable 
that  most  of  this  company  went  with  her  quite 
as  much  on  their  own  account  as  on  the  queen's. 
The  whole  party  numbered  about  two  hundred. 
They  embarked  from  Bamborough  on  board 
two  ships,  but  very  soon  after  they  had  left  the 
land  a  storm  arose,  and  the  two  ships  were  sep- 
arated from  each  other,  and  for  twelve  houra 
the  one  which  Margaret  and  the  prince  had 
taken  was  in  imminent  danger  of  being  over- 
whelmed. The  wind  rose  to  a  perfect  hurri- 
cane, and  no  one  expected  that  they  could  pos- 
sibly escape. 


U62.]          YEARS  or  EXILE.  273 

The  Duke  of  Burgundy.  Generosity  of  the  duke. 

At  length,  however,  the  gale  subsided  so  as 
to  allow  the  ship  to  make  a  port ;  not  the  port 
of  their  destination,  however,  but  one  far  to  the 
southward  of  it,  in  a  territory  belonging  to 
Philip,  Duke  of  Burgundy,  between  whom  and 
Margaret  there  had  been,  during  all  Margaret's 
life,  a  hereditary  and  implacable  enmity.  Mar- 
garet was  greatly  alarmed  at  finding  herself 
thus  at  the  mercy  of  a  person  whom  she  con- 
sidered as  one  of  her  deadliest  foes. 

But,  very  much  to  her  surprise,  the  duke,  aa 
soon  as  he  heard  of  her  arrival  in  the  country, 
took  pity  on  her  misfortunes,  forgot  all  his  for- 
mer enmity,  and  treated  her  in  the  most  gener- 
ous manner.  He  was  not  at  Lille,  his  capital, 
when  she  arrived,  but  he  sent  his  son  to  receive 
her,  and  to  conduct  her  to  the  capital,  with  ev- 
ery possible  mark  of  respect.  When  she  went 
on  afterward  to  meet  the  duke,  he  sent  a  guard 
•of  honor  to  escort  her,  and  when  she  arrived  at 
his  court,  which  was  at  that  time  at  a  place  call- 
ed St.  Pol,  he  received  her  iu  a  very  distinguish- 
ed manner,  and  prepared  great  entertainments 
and  festivities  to  do  her  honor. 

He  rendered  her,  also,  still  more  substantial 

services  than  these,  by  furnishing  her  with  an 

ample  supply  of  funds  for  all  her  immediate 

wants.     He  gave  to  each  of  the  ladies  in  her 

20—18 


274         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1462. 

Rene's  gratitude.  A  rare  example. 

train  a  hundred  crowns,  to  Braze"  a  thousand, 
and  to  Margaret  herself  an  order  on  his  treas- 
urer for  ten  thousand. 

King  Rene,  Margaret's  father,  was  very  much 
touched  with  this  generosity  and  kindness  on 
the  part  of  his  old  family  enemy.  He  himself, 
at  that  time,  was  wholly  destitute,  and  unable 
to  do  any  thing  for  his  daughter's  relief.  He, 
however,  wrote  a  letter  of  warm  thanks  to  Phil- 
ip, in  which  he  declared  that  he  had  not  merit- 
ed and  did  not  expect  such  kindness  at  his 
hands. 

We  have,  in  the  conduct  of  the  Duke  of  Bur- 
gundy on  this  occasion,  one  single  and  solitary 
example,  among  all  the  Christian  knights,  and 
nobles,  and  princes  that  figure  in  this  long  and 
melancholy  story  of  contention,  cruelty,  and 
crime,  in  which  the  Savior's  rule,  Forgive  your 
enemies,  do  good  to  them  that  hate  you,  was 
cordially  obeyed ;  and  what  happy  fruits  imme- 
diately resulted  to  all  concerned !  How  much 
of  all  the  vast  amount  of  bloodshed  and  suffer- 
ing which  prevailed  during  these  gloomy  times 
would  have  been  prevented,  if  those  who  pro- 
fessed to  be  followers  of  Christ  had  been  really 
vrhat  they  pretended. 

"With  the  money  which  Margaret  obtained 
from  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  she  was  enabled 


1462.]          YEARS  OF  EXILE.  275 

Margaret  goes  to  Lorraine.         The  prince.        Bad  news  from  the  king. 

to  continue  her  journey  in  some  tolerable  de- 
gree of  comfort  to  the  old  home  of  her  child- 
hood in  Lorraine.  All  that  her  father  could 
do  for  her  was  to  furnish  her  a  humble  place 
of  refuge  ia  a  castle  at  Verdun,  on  the  Eiver 
Moselle,  which  flows  through  the  province. 
She  went  there,  attended  with  a  small  number 
of  followers,  and  here  she  remained,  in  utter 
seclusion  from  the  world,  and  almost  forgot- 
ten, for  seven  long  years. 

During  all  this  time  she  enjoyed  the  comfort 
and  satisfaction  of  having  her  son,  the  prince, 
with  her,  and  of  watching  his  progress  to  man- 
hood under  her  own  personal  charge  and  that 
of  one  or  two  accomplished  men  who  still  ad- 
hered to  her,  and  who  aided  her  in  the  educa- 
tion of  her  boy.  She  was,  however,  hopelessly 
separated  from  her  husband.  For  a  long  time 
she  did  not  know  what  had  become  of  him. 
During  this  time  he  was  leading  a  very  pre- 
carious and  wandering  life  in  England,  going 
from  one  hiding-place  to  another,  wherever  his 
friends  could  most  conveniently  secrete  him. 
At  length,  however,  the  heavy  tidings  came 
to  the  queen,  in  her  retreat  at  Verdun,  that  hei 
husband  had  been  betrayed  in  one  of  his  re- 
treats, and  had  been  seized  and  carried  to  Lon- 
don as  a  prisoner  in  a  very  ignominious  man 


276         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1462. 

His  life  spared.  Cruelties.  Men  tortured. 

ner.  It  was  to  have  been  expected  that  he 
would  be  immediately  put  to  death ;  but,  as  a 
matter  of  policy,  the  York  party  thought  it  not 
best  to  proceed  to  that  extremity,  especially  as 
all  his  kingly  right  would  have  immediately 
descended  to  his  son,  in  whose  hands,  with  such 
a  mother  to  aid  him,  they  would  have  become 
more  formidable  than  ever.  Thus,  on  many 
accounts,  it  was  better  for  his  enemies  to  allow 
the  old  king  to  live. 

But  very  special  precautions  were  taken  by 
King  Edward's  government  to  prevent  Marga- 
ret and  the  young  prince  from  coming  into  En- 
gland again.  A  coast  guard  was  set  all  along 
the  shore,  and  every  one  in  England  who  was 
suspected  of  being  in  communication  with  the 
exiled  queen  was  watched  and  guarded  in  the 
closest  manner  possible.  Some  were  tortured 
and  put  to  death  in  the  attempt  to  force  them 
to  give  up  letters  or  papers  supposed  to  be  in 
their  possession.  A  certain  wealthy  merchant 
of  London  was  accused  of  treason,  and  very  se- 
verely punished,  simply  because  he  had  been 
asked  to  loan  money  to  Margaret,  and,  though 
he  refused  to  make  the  loan,  did  not  inform 
the  authorities  of  the  application  which  had 
been  i  lade  to  him. 

An  aig  other  examples  of  the  shocking  era- 


1462.]         YEARS  OF   EXILE.  277 


Great  fidelity. 


elty  of  which  those  in  power  were  guilty,  in 
their  hatred  of  Margaret  and  her  cause,  it  is 
said  that  one  man,  who  was  found  out,  as  they 
thought,  in  an  attempt  to  convey  letters  to  and 
fro  between  Margaret  and  some  of  her  friends 
in  England,  was  torn  to  pieces  with  red-hot 
pincers  in  a  fruitless  attempt  to  make  him  con- 
fess who  the  persons  were  in  England  for  whom 
the  letters  were  intended.  But  he  bore  the 
torture  to  the  end,  and  died  without  betraying 
the  secret* 


278         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1469. 

-Great  news.  Revolt  of  Warwick. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

KECONCILIATION  WITH  WAR- 
WICK. 

Ethe  fall  of  1469,  Margaret's  mind  was 
aroused  to  new  life  and  excitement  by  news 
which  came  from  England  that  great  opposition 
had  gradually  grown  up  in  the  realm  against 
the  government  of  Edward,  that  many  of  his 
best  friends  had  forsaken  him,  and  that  the 
friends  and  partisans  of  the  Lancaster  line  were 
increasing  in  strength  and  courage  to  such  a 
degree  as  to  make  it  probable  that  the  time  was 
drawing  nigh  when  Henry  might  be  restored 
to  the  throne.  The  most  important  circum- 
stance connected  with  the  change  which  had 
taken  place  was  that  the  great  Earl  of  War- 
wick, who  had  been  the  most  efficient  and  pow- 
erful supporter  of  the  house  of  York,  and  the 
most  determined  enemy  of  Margaret  and  Hen- 
ry during  the  whole  war,  had  now  abandoned 
Edward,  and  had  come  to  France,  and  was 
ready  to  throw  all  the  weight  of  his  power  and 
influence  on  the  other  side.* 

*  The  nature  of  the  difficulties  which  had  taken  place  in 
England,  and  the  circumstances  which  led  the  Earl  of  War- 


1469.]  MARGARET  AND  WARWICK.   279 

Excitement    Margaret  sent  for.    Reconciliation  with  Warwick  proposed. 

Of  course,  these  tidings  produced  a  great  ex- 
citement all  over  France.  King  Louis  XI.  was 
specially  interested  in  them,  as  they  afforded  a 
hope  that  Margaret  might  regain  her  throne, 
and  so  be  able  to  redeem  her  mortgage,  or  else 
deliver  up  to  him  the  security ;  so  he  called  a 
council  at  Tours  to  consider  what  was  best  to 
be  done,  and  he  sent  for  Margaret  at  Verdun  to 
come  with  the  prince  and  attend  it.  He  also 
sent  for  Rene',  her  father,  and  other  influential 
family  friends.  It  is  said  that  when  Margaret 
arrived  and  met  her  father,  she  was  so  much 
agitated  by  the  news,  and  by  the  hopes  which 
it  awakened  in  her  bosom,  that,  in  embracing 
him,  she  burst  into  tears  from  the  excess  of  her 
excitement  and  joy. 

But  she  could  not  endure  the  idea  of  a  rec- 
onciliation with  Warwick.  At  first  she  pos- 
itively refused  to  see  or  to  speak  to  him. 
When,  however,  at  length  he  arrived  at  Tours, 
the  king  introduced  him  into  Margaret's  pres- 
ence, but  for  a  long  time  she  refused  to  have 
any  thing  to  do  with  him. 

"She  could  never  forgive  him,"  she  said. 
"  He  had  been  the  chief  author  of  the  downfall 
of  her  husband,  and  of  all  the  sorrows  and  ca- 

wick  to  abandon  Edward's  cause,  are  explained  fully  in  thi 
history  of  Richard  III. 


280         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1469 

Margaret's  objections.  Warwick's  arguments.  His  promisee. 

lamities  which  had  since  befallen  her  and  her 
son. 

"Besides,"  she  said,  "even  if  she  were  will- 
ing to  forgive  him  for  the  intolerable  wrongs 
which  he  had  inflicted  upon  her,  it  would  be 
very  prejudicial  to  her  husband's  cause  to  en- 
ter into  any  agreement  or  alliance  with  him 
whatever ;  for  all  her  party  and  friends  in  En- 
gland, whom  Warwick  had  done  so  much  to 
injure,  and  who  had  so  long  looked  upon  him 
as  their  worst  and  deadliest  foe,  would  be  whol- 
ly alienated  from  her  if  they  were  to  know  that 
she  had  taken  him  into  favor,  and  thus  she 
would  lose  much  more  than  she  would  gain." 

Warwick  replied  to  this  as  well  as  he  could, 
pleading  the  injuries  which  he  had  himself  re- 
ceived from  the  Lancaster  party  as  an  excuse 
for  his  hostility  against  them.  Then,  moreover, 
he  had  been  the  means  of  unsettling  King  Ed- 
ward in  his  realm,  and  of  preparing  the  way 
for  King  Henry  to  return ;  and  he  promised 
that,  if  Margaret  would  receive  him  into  her 
service,  he  would  thenceforth  be  true  and  faith- 
ful to  her  as  long  as  he  lived,  and  be  as  much 
King  Edward's  foe  as  he  had  hitherto  been  his 
friend.  He  appealed,  moreover,  to  the  King  of 
France  to  be  his  surety  that  he  would  faithful- 
ly perform  these  stipulations. 


1469.]  MARGARET  AND  WARWICK.  281 

King  Louis  intercedes.         A  new  proposal.         Margaret's  indignation. 

The  King  of  France  said  that  he  would  be 
his  surety,  and  he  begged  that  Margaret  would 
pardon  Warwick,  and  receive  him  into  favor 
for  his  sake,  and  for  the  great  love  that  he,  the 
king,  bore  to  him.  He  would  do  more  for  him, 
he  added,  than  for  any  man  living. 

Margaret  at  last  allowed  herself  to  be  per- 
suaded, and  Warwick  was  forgiven. 

There  were  several  other  great  nobles,  who 
had  come  over  with  Warwick,  that  were  re- 
ceived into  Margaret's  favor  at  the  same  time,, 
and,  when  the  grand  reconciliation  was  com- 
pletely effected,  the  whole  party  set  out  togeth- 
er to  go  down  the  Loire  to  Angers,  where  the 
Countess  of  Warwick,  the  earl's  wife,  and  his 
youngest  daughter,  Anne,  were  awaiting  them. 
The  countess  and  Anne  were  presented  to  the 
queen,  and  a  short  time  afterward  Louis  ven- 
tured to  propose  a  marriage  between  Anne  and 
Prince  Edward. 

Margaret  received  this  proposal  with  aston- 
ishment, and  rejected  it  with  scorn.  She  said 
she  could  see  neither  honor  nor  profit  in  it, 
either  for  herself  or  for  her  son.  But  at  length, 
after  a  fortnight  had  been  spent  in  reasoning 
with  her  on  the  advantages  of  the  connection, 
and  the  aid  which  she  would  derive  from  such 
an  alliance  with  Warwick  in  endeavoring  to 


282         MARGARET  or  ANJOU.     [1469. 

The  match  finally  agreed  upon.  The  true  cross.  Oaths  taken. 

recover  her  husband's  kingdom,  she  finally 
yielded.  She  was  influenced  at  last,  in  coming 
to  this  decision,  by  the  advice  of  her  father,  who 
counseled  her  to  consent  to  the  match. 

The  parties  united  in  a  grand  religious  cer- 
emony in  the  cathedral  church  of  Angers  to 
seal  and  ratify  the  covenants  and  agreements 
by  which  they  were  now  to  be  bound. 

There  was  a  fragment  of  the  true  cross,  so 
supposed,  among  the  relics  in  the  cathedral, 
and  this  was  an  object  of  such  veneration  that 
an  oath  taken  upon  it  was  considered  as  im- 
posing an  obligation  of  the  highest  sanctity. 
Each  of  the  three  great  parties  took  an  oath, 
in  turn,  upon  this  holy  emblem. 

First,  the  Earl  of  Warwick  swore  that  he 
would,  without  change,  always  hold  to  the  party 
of  King  Henry,  and  serve  him,  the  queen,  and 
the  prince,  as  a  true  and  faithful  subject  ought 
to  serve  his  sovereign  lord. 

Next,  the  King  of  France  swore  that  he 
would  help  and  sustain,  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power,  the  Earl  of  Warwick  in  the  quarrel  of 
King  Henry. 

And,  finally,  Queen  Margaret  swore  to  treat 
the  earl  as  true  and  faithful  to  King  Henry  and 
the  prince,  and  "for  his  deeds  past  never  to 
make  him  any  reproach." 


1470.]  MARGARET  AND   WARWICK.  283 

The  betrothal.     Conditions.      Ceremony.      Margaret  seta  out  for  Paris. 

It  was  furthermore  agreed  at  this  time  that 
Anne,  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  daughter,  who 
was  betrothed  to  the  prince,  should  be  deliver- 
ed to  Queen  Margaret,  and  should  remain  under 
her  charge  until  the  marriage  should  be  con- 
summated. But  this  was  not  to  take  place  un- 
til the  Earl  of  Warwick  had  been  into  England 
and  had  recovered  the  realm,  or  the  greater  por- 
tion of  it  at  least,  and  restored  it  to  King  Hen- 
ry. Thus  the  consummation  of  the  marriage 
was  to  depend  upon  Warwick's  success  in  re- 
storing Henry  his  crown. 

Still,  a  sort  of  marriage  ceremony,  or,  more 
strictly,  a  ceremony  of  betrothal,  was  celebrated 
at  Angers  between  the  prince  and  his  affianced 
bride  a  few  days  afterward,  with  great  parade, 
and  then  Warwick,  leaving  his  countess  and  his 
daughter  behind  with  Margaret,  set  out  for  En- 
gland with  a  troop  of  two  thousand  men  which 
Louis  had  furnished  him. 

After  Warwick  had  gone,  Margaret  remained 
at  Angers  for  some  weeks,  and  then  set  out  ior 
Paris,  escorted  by  a  guard  of  honor.  Her  par- 
ty arrived  at  the  capital  in  November,  and  Mar- 
garet, by  Louis's  orders,  was  received  with  all 
the  ceremonies  and  marks  of  distinction  due  to 
a  queen.  The  streets  through  which  she  pass- 
ed were  hung  with  tapestry,  and  ornamented 


284         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1470. 

Reception  in  Paris.  Good  news  received. 

with  flags  and  banners,  and  with  every  other 
suitable  decoration.  The  people  came  out  in 
throngs  to  see  the  grand  procession  pass;  for, 
in  addition  to  the  guard  of  honor  which  had 
conducted  the  party  to  the  capital,  all  the  great 
public  functionaries  and  high  officials  joined  in 
the  procession  at  the  gates,  and  accompanied  il 
through  the  city,  thus  forming  a  grand  and  im- 
posing spectacle. 

Queen  Margaret  and  her  party  were  in  this 
way  conducted  to  the  palace,  and  lodged  there 
in  great  splendor.  Their  hearts  were  gladden- 
ed, too,  on  their  arrival,  by  receiving  the  news 
that  Warwick  had  landed  in  England,  and  had 
been  completely  successful  in  his  undertaking. 
King  Edward  was  deposed,  and  King  Henry 
had  been  released  from  his  imprisonment  in  the 
Tower  and  placed  upon  the  throne. 

Margaret,  of  course,  at  once  determined  that 
she  would  immediately  make  preparations  for 
returning  to  England. 


1470.]  BITTER  DISAPPOINTMENT.      285 

Preparations  for  going  to  England.  Harfleur. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 
BITTER  DISAPPOINTMENT. 

preparations  which  were  required  for 
Margaret  and  her  company  to  return  to 
England  in  suitable  state  seem  to  have  con- 
sumed several  months ;  for,  although  it  was  as- 
early  as  November  that  the  great  entrance  into 
Paris  took  place,  and  the  news  of  Henry's  res- 
toration was  received,  it  was  not  until  February 
that  the  royal  party  were  ready  to  embark. 
There  were  negotiations  to  be  made,  and  men 
to  be  enlisted,  and  ships  to  be  procured,  and 
funds  to  be  provided,  and  appointments  to  be 
decided  upon,  and  dresses  to  be  made,  and  a 
thousand  questions  of  precedence  and  etiquette 
to  be  considered  and  arranged.  At  length, 
however,  all  was  ready,  and  the  whole  company 
proceeded  together  to  the  port  which  had  been 
selected  as  the  place  of  embarkation.  This  port 
was  Harfleur.  Harfleur  is  situated  on  the  coast 
of  Normandy,  near  the  more  modern  port  of 
Havre. 

When  the  time  arrived  for  sailing,  the  weath- 
er looked  very  unfavorable ;  but  Margaret,  who 


286         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1470. 

Wind  contrary.  Supposed  witchcraft  Large  company. 

had  become  weary  with  the  delays  by  which  her 
return  had  been  so  long  postponed,  and  was 
very  impatient  to  arrive  in  her  own  dominions 
again,  ordered  the  ships  to  put  to  sea.  Three 
times  did  they  make  the  attempt,  and  three 
times  were  the  ships  driven  back  into  port 
again.  Many  of  her  friends  were  greatly  dis- 
couraged by  these  failures.  Some  said  they 
thought  that  this  continued  resistance  of  the  el- 
ements to  her  plans  ought  to  be  regarded  as  an 
indication  of  divine  Providence  that  she  was 
not  to  go  to  England  at  present,  and  they  begged 
her  to  defer  the  attempt.  Others  thought  that 
the  contrary  winds  were  raised  by  witches,  and 
they  began  to  devise  measures  for  finding  out 
who  the  witches  were. 

Margaret  paid  no  attention  to  either  of  these 
suggestions,  but  persisted  in  her  determination 
to  sail  the  moment  that  the  weather  should  al- 
low. This  delay  was  a  source  of  great  incon- 
venience to  her,  and  it  occasioned  a  good  deal 
of  expense ;  for,  besides  her  own  personal  offi- 
cers and  attendants,  Margaret  had  collected 
quite  a  large  body  of  soldiers  to  cross  the  Chan- 
nel with  her,  in  order  to  re-enforce  the  armies 
of  Warwick  and  of  Henry.  This  was  quite 
necessary ;  for,  although  Henry  had  been  nom- 
inally restored  to  the  throne,  his  enemies  were 


1470.]  BITTER  DISAPPOINTMENT. 

Army  to  be  embarked.          Margaret's  fears.          Countess  of  Warwick. 

yet  in  the  field  in  considerable  force,  and  Mar- 
garet was  very  desirous  of  bringing  with  her 
the  means  of  helping  to  put  them  down.  In 
deed,  she  knew  that  the  situation  of  her  hus- 
band was  extremely  precarious,  and  that  the 
fortune  of  war  might  at  any  time  turn  against 
him.  And  this  consideration  made  her  ex- 
tremely impatient  at  the  delay  occasioned  by 
the  weather  at  Harfleur.  She  did  not  know 
but  that  the  king  might  even  then  be  engaged 
in  close  conflict  with  his  foes,  and  likely  to  be 
overwhelmed  by  them,  and  that  her  force,  by 
being  so  long  delayed,  would  arrive  too  late  to 
save  him. 

Alas  for  poor  Margaret !  It  was,  indeed,  ex- 
actly so. 

It  was  not  until  the  24th  of  March  that  it 
was  possible  to  leave  the  port;  but  then,  al- 
though the  weather  was  by  no  means  settled, 
the  queen  determined  to  wait  no  longer.  The 
Countess  of  Warwick,  who  had  been  left  in 
France  when  the  earl  her  husband  went  to 
England,  sailed  from  Harfleur  at  the  same  time 
with  the  queen,  though  in  a  different  vessel. 
Her  daughter,  however,  the  prince  regent's 
bride  elect,  went  with  the  queen. 

The  weather  continued  very  boisterous  after 
the  fleet  sailed,  and  as  the  gales  which  blew  so 


•288         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1470. 

Arrival  in  England.  The  landing. 

heavily  were  from  the  north,  the  ships  could 
make  very  little  progress.  They  were  kept 
beating  about  in  the  Channel,  or  lying  at  an- 
chor waiting  for  a  change  of  wind,  for  more 
than  a  fortnight.  During  all  this  time  Marga- 
Tet  was  kept  in  a  perfect  fever  of  impatience 
and  anxiety. 

At  length,  about  the  10th  of  April,  they 
reached  the  land  at  Weymouth. 

After  the  ships  entered  the  port,  the  space 
of  a  day  or  two  was  occupied  in  making  prepa- 
rations to  land.  Among  these  preparations 
was  included  the  work  of  arranging  apartments 
Sit  an  abbey  in  the  vicinity  of  Weymouth  to 
receive  the  queen  and  her  attendants.  In  the 
mean  time,  the  landing  of  the  troops  was  push- 
ed forward  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

The  ship  in  which  the  Countess  of  Warwick 
•embarked  had  sailed  in  a  different  direction 
from  Margaret's  fleet,  and  it  was  not  known 
yet  what  had  become  of  her. 

When  at  last  the  preparations  were  com- 
pleted, the  queen  and  her  party  went  on  shore 
and  took  up  their  abode  in  the  abbey.  Marga- 
ret's mind  was  intensely  occupied  with  the  ar- 
rangements necessary  for  marshaling  her  troops 
and  getting  them  ready  to  march  to  the  assist- 
ance of  Warwick,  when,  to  her  amazement  and 


1470.]  BITTER  DISAPPOINTMENT.      289 


>V«-->  of  a  battle. 


Warwick  killed. 


consternation,  she  received  news,  on  the  very 
next  day  after  she  took  up  her  abode  in  the  ab- 
bey, that  the  party  of  King  Edward  had  mus- 
tered in  great  force  and  advanced  toward  Lon- 
don, and  that  a  battle  had  been  fought  at  a  place 
called  Barnet,  a  few  miles  from  London,  in  which 
Edward's  party  had  been  completely  victorious. 
The  Earl  of  Warwick  had  been  killed.  King 
Henry  her  husband  had  been  taken  prisoner, 
and  their  cause  seemed  to  be  wholly  lost. 


20—19 


OEATU  OF    WAKWICK. 


290          MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1471. 

Manner  of  Warwick's  death.      Margaret's  despair.      Imminent  danger. 

Warwick  had  gone  into  the  battle  on  foot, 
in  order  the  more  effectually  to  stimulate  the 
emulation  of  his  men,  so  that  when,  in  the  end, 
his  forces  were  defeated,  and  fled,  he  himself, 
being  encumbered  by  his  armor,  2ould  not  save 
himself,  but  was  overtaken  by  his  remorseless 
enemies  and  slain. 

The  terrible  agitation  and  anguish  that  this 
news  excited  in  the  mind  of  the  queen  it  would 
be  impossible  to  describe.  She  fell  at  first  into 
a  swoon,  and  when  at  length  her  senses  re- 
turned, she  was  so  completely  overwhelmed 
with  disappointment,  vexation,  and  rage,  and 
talked  so  wildly  and  incoherently,  that  her 
friends  almost  feared  that  she  would  lose  her 
reason.  Her  son,  the  young  prince,  who  was 
now  nearly  nineteen  years  of  age,  did  all  in  his 
power  to  soothe  and  calm  her,  and  at  length 
so  far  succeeded  as  to  induce  her  to  consider 
what  was  to  be  done  to  secure  her  own  and  his 
safety.  To  remain  where  they  were  was  to 
expose  themselves  to  be  attacked  at  any  time 
by  a  body  of  Edward's  victorious  troops  and 
conveyed  prisoner  to  the  Tower. 

There  was  another  abbey  at  not  a  great  dis- 
tance from  where  Margaret  now  was,  which 
was  endowed  with  certain  privileges  as  a  sanc- 
tuary, such  that  persons  seeking  refuge  there 


1471.]  BITTER  DISAPPOINTMENT.      291 

She  seeks  security.   The  Countess  of  Warwick.   Great  reverse  of  fortune. 

under  certain  circumstances  could  not  be  taken 
away.  The  name  of  this  retreat  was  Beau- 
lieu  Abbey.  Margaret  immediately  proceeded 
across  the  country  to  this  place,  taking  with  her 
the  prince  and  nearly  all  the  others  of  her  par- 
ty. Either  on  her  arrival  here,  or  on  the  way, 
she  met  the  Countess  of  Warwick,  who,  it  will 
be  recollected,  had  left  Harfleur  at  the  same 
time  that  she  did.  The  countess's  ship  had 
been  driven  farther  to  the  eastward,  and  she 
had  finally  landed  at  Portsmouth.  Here  she 
too  had  learned  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Bar- 
net  and  of  the  death  of  her  husband,  and,  be- 
ing completely  overwhelmed  with  the  tidings, 
and  also  alarmed  for  her  own  safety,  she  had 
determined  to  fly  for  refuge  to  Beaulieu  Ab- 
bey too. 

The  two  unhappy  ladies,  who  had  parted, 
three  weeks  before,  on  the  coast  of  France  with 
such  high  and  excellent  expectations,  now  met, 
both  plunged  in  the  deepest  and  most  over- 
whelming sorrow.  Their  hopes  were  blasted, 
all  their  bright  prospects  were  destroyed,  and 
they  found  themselves  in  the  condition  of  help- 
less and  wretched  fugitives,  dependent  upon  a 
religious  sanctuary  for  the  hope  of  even  saving 
their  lives. 


292         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1471. 

Margaret  found  by  friends.  Her  Bad  condition. 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 
CHILDLESS,  AND  A  WIDOW. 

MARGARET  did  not  trust  entirely  for  her 
safety  to  the  sacredness  of  the  sanctuary 
where  she  had  sought  refuge.  She  endeavor- 
ed, by  all  the  means  in  her  power,  to  keep  the 
place  of  her  retreat  secret  from  all  but  her  cho- 
sen and  most  trustworthy  friends.  Very  soon, 
however,  she  was  visited  by  some  of  these,  es- 
pecially by  some  young  nobles,  who  came  to 
her  exasperated,  and  all  on  fire  with  rage  and 
resentment,  on  account  of  the  death  of  their 
friends  and  relatives,  who  had  been  slain  in 
the  battle. 

They  found  Margaret,  however,  in  a  state 
of  mind  very  different  from  their  own.  She 
was  beginning  to  be  discouraged.  The  long- 
continued  and  bitter  experience  of  failure  and 
disappointment,  which  had  now,  for  so  many 
years,  been  her  constant  lot,  seemed  at  last 
to  have  had  power  to  undermine  and  destroy 
even  her  resolution  and  energy.  Her  friends, 
when  they  came  to  see  her,  found  her  plunged 
in  a  sort  of  stupor  of  wretchedness  and  de- 


1471.]  CHILDLESS,  AND  A  WIDOW.   293 

Her  friends  encourage  her.  Little  success.  Her  wishes. 

spair  from  which  they  found  it  difficult  to 
rouse  her. 

And  when,  at  length,  they  succeeded  in  so 
far  awakening  her  from  her  despondency  as  to 
induce  her  to  take  some  interest  in.  their  con- 
sultations, her  only  feeling  for  the  time  being 
seemed  to  be  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  her  son. 
She  begged  and  implored  them  to  take  some 
measures  to  protect  him.  They  endeavored  to 
convince  her  that  her  situation  was  not  so  des- 
perate as  she  imagined.  They  had  still  a  pow- 
erful force,  they  said,  on  their  side.  That  force 
was  now  rallying  and  reassembling,  and,  with 
her  presence  and  that  of  the  young  prince  at 
their  head-quarters,  the  numbers  and  enthusi- 
asm of  their  troops  would  be  very  rapidly  in- 
creased, and  there  was  great  hope  that  they 
might  soon  be  able  again  to  meet  the  enemy 
under  more  favorable  auspices  than  ever. 

But  the  queen  seemed  very  unwilling  to  ac- 
cede to  their  views.  It  was  of  no  use,  she  said, 
to  make  any  farther  effort.  They  were  not 
strong  enough  to  meet  their  enemies  in  battle, 
and  nothing  but  fresh  disasters  would  result 
from  making  the  attempt.  There  was  nothing 
to  be  done  but  for  herself  and  the  young  prince, 
with  as  many  others  as  were  disposed  to  share 
her  fortunes,  to  return  as  soon  as  possible  to 


294         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU.      [1471. 

The  young  prince.  An  army  collected.  To  Bath. 

France,  and  there  to  remain  and  wait  for  bette* 
times. 

But  the  young  prince  was  not  willing  to  adopt 
this  plan.  He  was  young,  and  full  of  confidence 
and  hope,  and  he  joined  the  nobles  in  urging 
his  mother  to  consent  to  take  the  field.  His  in- 
fluence prevailed;  and  Margaret,  though  with 
great  reluctance  and  many  forebodings,  finally 
yielded. 

So  she  left  the  sanctuary,  and,  with  the  prince, 
was  escorted  secretly  to  the  northward,  in  order 
to  join  the  army  there.  The  western  counties 
of  England,  those  lying  on  the  borders  of  Wales, 
had  long  been  very  favorable  to  Henry's  cause, 
and  when  the  people  learned  that  the  queen 
and-  the  young  prince  were  there,  they  came 
out  in  great  numbers,  as  the  nobles  had  pre- 
dicted, to  join  her  standard.  In  a  short  time  a 
large  army  was  ready  to  take  the  field. 

Margaret  was  at  this  time  at  Bath.  She  soon 
heard  that  King  Edward  was  coming  against 
her  from  London  with  a  large  army.  Her  own 
forces,  she  thought,  were  not  yet  strong  enough 
to  meet  him ;  so  she  formed  the  plan  of  cross- 
ing the  Severn  into  Wales,  and  waiting  there 
until  she  should  have  a  larger  force  concen- 
trated. 

Accordingly,  from  Bath  she  went  down  to 


1471.]  CHILDLESS,  AND  A  WIDOW.  295 

To  Bristol.  Endeavors  to  cross  the  river.  Arrival  of  Edward. 

Bristol,  which,  as  will  be  seen  from  the  map,  is 
on  the  banks  of  the  Severn,  at  a  place  where  the 
river  is  very  wide.  She  could  not  cross  here, 
the  lowest  bridge  on  the  river  being  at  Glou- 
cester, thirty  or  forty  miles  farther  up  ;  so  she 
moved  up  to  Gloucester,  intending  to  cross 
there.  But  she  found  the  bridge  fortified,  and 
in  the  possession  of  an  officer  under  the  orders 
of  the  Duke  of  Gloucester,  who  was  a  partisan 
of  King  Edward,  and  he  refused  to  allow  the 
queen  to  pass  without  an  order  from  his  master. 
It  seemed  not  expedient  to  attempt  to  force 
the  bridge,  and,  accordingly,  Margaret  and  her 
party  went  on  up  the  river  in  order  to  find 
some  other  place  to  cross  into  Wales.  She  was 
very  much  excited  on  this  journey,  and  suffer- 
ed great  anxiety,  for  the  army  of  King  Edward 
was  advancing  rapidly,  and  there  was  danger 
that  she  would  be  intercepted  and  her  retreat 
cut  off;  so  she  pressed  forward  with  the  utmost 
diligence,  and  at  length,  after  having  marched 
thirty-seven  miles  in  one  day  with  her  troops, 
she  arrived  at  Tewkesbury,  a  town  situated 
about  midway  between  Gloucester  and  Wor- 
cester. When  she  arrived  there,  she  found  that 
Edward  had  arrived  already  within  a  mile  of 
the  place,  at  the  head  of  a  great  army,  and  was 
ready  for  battle. 


296         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1471. 

They,  make  a  stand.     Battle  of  Tewkesbury.     Preparations  for  the  fight. 

There  was,  however,  now  an  opportunity  for 
Margaret  to  cross  the  river  and  retire  for  a  time 
into  Wales,  and  she  was  herself  extremely  de- 
sirous of  doing  so,  but  the  young  nobles  who 
were  with  her,  and  especially  the  Duke  of  Som- 
erset, a  violent  and  hot-headed  young  man,  who 
acted  as  the  leader  of  them,  would  not  consent. 
He  declared  that  he  would  retreat  no  farther. 

"  We  will  make  a  stand  here,"  said  he,  "  and 
take  such  fortune  as  God  may  send  us." 

So  he  pitched  his  camp  in  the  park  which 
lay  upon  the  confines  of  the  town,  and  thre  w 
up  intrenchments.  Many  of  the  other  leaders 
were  strongly  opposed  to  his  plan  of  making  a 
stand  in  this  place,  but  Somerset  was  the  chief 
in  command,  and  he  would  have  his  way. 

He,  however,  showed  no  disposition  to  shel- 
ter himself  personally  from  any  portion  of  the 
danger  to  which  his  friends  and  followers  were 
to  be  exposed.  He  took  command  of  the  ad- 
vanced guard.  The  young  prince,  supported 
by  some  other  leaders  of  age  and  experience, 
was  also  to  be  placed  in  a  responsible  and  im- 
portant position.  When  all  was  ready,  Marga- 
ret and  the  prince  rode  along  the  ranks,  speak- 
ing words  of  encouragement  to  the  troops,  and 
promising  large  rewards  to  them  in  case  they 
gained  the  victory. 


1471.]  CHILDLESS,  AND  A   WIDOW.    299 

Margaret's  maternal  anxiety.        She  witnesses  the  fight.         Somerset, 

Margaret's  heart  was  full  of  anxiety  and  agi- 
tation as  the  hour  for  the  commencement  of 
hostilities  drew  nigh.  She  had  often  before 
staked  very  dear  and  highly-valued  friends  in 
the  field  of  battle,  but  now,  for  the  first  time, 
she  was  putting  to  hazard  the  life  of  her  dear- 
ly beloved  and  only  son.  It  was  very  much 
against  her  will  that  she  was  brought  to  incur 
this  terrible  danger.  It  was  only  the  sternest 
necessity  that  compelled  her  to  do  it. 

When  the  battle  began,  Margaret  withdrew 
to  an  elevation  within  the  park,  from  which  she 
could  witness  the  progress  of  the  fight.  For 
some  time  her  army  remained  on  the  defens- 
ive within  their  intrenchments,  but  at  length 
Somerset,  becoming  impatient  and  impetuous, 
determined  on  making  a  sally  and  attacking 
the  assailants  in  the  open  field. 

So,  ordering  the  others  to  follow  him,  he  is- 
sued forth  from  the  lines.  Some  obeyed  him, 
and  others  did  not.  After  a  while  he  returned 
within  the  lines  again,  apparently  for  the  pur- 
pose of  calling  those  who  remained  there  to  ac- 
count for  not  obeying  him.  He  found  Lord 
Wenlock,  one  of  the  leaders,  sitting  upon  his 
horse  idle,  as  he  said,  in  the  town.  He  imme- 
diately denounced  him  as  a  traitor,  and,  riding 
up  to  him,  cut  him  down  with  a  blow  from  his 
battle-axe,  which  cleft  his  skull. 


300         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1471. 

Panic  and  flight.    Margaret's  terror.    She  swoons.    Capture  of  the  prince. 

The  men  who  were  under  Lord  Wenlock's 
banner,  seeing  their  leader  thus  mercilessly 
slain,  immediately  began  to  fly.  Their  flight 
caused  a  panic,  which  rapidly  spread  among  all 
the  other  troops,  and  the  whole  field  was  soon 
in  utter  confusion. 

When  Margaret  saw  this,  and  thought  of  the 
prince,  exposed,  as  he  was,  to  the  most  immi- 
nent danger  in  the  defeat,  she  became  almost 
frantic  with  excitement  and  terror.  She  in- 
sisted on  rushing  into  the  field  to  find  and  save 
her  son.  Those  around  found  it  almost  im- 
possible to  restrain  her.  At  length,  in  the 
struggle,  her  excitement  and  terror  entirely 
overpowered  her.  She  swooned  away,  and  her 
attendants  then  bore  her  senseless  to  a  carriage, 
and  she  was  driven  rapidly  away  out  through 
one  of  the  park  gates,  and  thence  by  a  by-road 
to  a  religious  house  near  by,  where  it  was 
thought  she  would  be  for  the  moment  secure. 

The  poor  prince  was  taken  prisoner.  He  was 
conveyed,  after  the  battle,  to  Edward's  tent. 
The  historians  of  the  day  relate  the  following 
story  of  the  sad  termination  of  his  career. 

When  Edward,  accompanied  by  his  ofiicers 
and  the  nobles  in  attendance  upon  him,  cover- 
ed with  the  blood  and  the  dust  of  the  conflict, 
and  fierce  and  exultant  under  the  excitement 


1471.]  CHILDLESS,  AND  A  WIDOW.    303 

Death  of  the  Prince  of  Wales.  Margaret  receives  the  tidings. 

of  slaughter  and  victory,  came  into  the  tent, 
and  saw  the  handsome  young  prince  standing 
there  in  the  hands  of  his  captors,  he  was  at 
first  struck  with  the  elegance  of  his  appear- 
ance and  his  frank  and  manly  bearing.  He, 
however,  accosted  him  fiercely  by  demanding 
what  brought  him  to  England.  The  prince 
replied  fearlessly  that  he  came  to  recover  his 
father's  crown  and  his  own  inheritance.  Upon 
this,  Edward  threw  his  glove,  a  heavy  iron 
gauntlet,  in  his  face. 

The  men  standing  by  took  this  as  an  indica 
tion  of  Edward's  feelings  and  wishes  in  respect 
to  his  prisoner,  and  they  fell  upon  him  at  once 
with  their  swords  and  murdered  him  upon  the 
spot. 

Margaret  did  not  know  what  had  become  of 
her  son  until  the  following  day.  By  that  time 
King  Edward  had  discovered  the  place  of  her 
retreat,  and  he  sent  a  certain  Sir  "William  Stan- 
ley, who  had  always  been  one  of  her  most  in- 
veterate enemies^  to  take  her  prisoner  and  bring 
her  to  him.  It  was  this  Stanley  who,  when  he 
came,  brought  her  the  news  of  her  son's  death. 
He  communicated  the  news  to  her,  it  was  said, 
in  an  exultant  manner,  as  if  he  was  not  only 
glad  of  the  prince's  death,  but  as  if  he  rejoiced 
in  having  the  opportunity  of  witnessing  the 


304         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1471. 

She  ia  borne  to  London.     Her  condition  on  the  journey.     Her  last  hope. 

despair  and  grief  with  which  the  mother  was 
overwhelmed  in  hearing  the  tidings. 

Stanley  conveyed  the  queen  to  Coventry, 
where  King  Edward  then  was,  and  placed  her 
at  his  disposal.  Edward  was  then  going  to 
London  in  a  sort  of  triumphant  march  in  hon- 
or of  his  victory,  and  he  ordered  that  Stanley 
should  take  Margaret  with  him  in  his  train. 
Anne  of  Warwick,  her  son's  young  bride,  was 
taken  to  London  too,  at  the  same  time  and  in 
the  same  way. 

During  the  whole  of  the  journey  Margaret 
was  in  a  continued  state  of  the  highest  excite- 
ment, being  almost  wild  with  grief  and  rage. 
She  uttered  continual  maledictions  against  Ed- 
ward for  having  murdered  her  boy,  and  noth- 
ing could  soothe  or  quiet  her. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  there  would  have 
been  one  source  of  comfort  open  to  her  during 
this  dreadful  journey  in  the  thought  that,  in 
going  to  the  Tower,  which  was  now  undoubt- 
edly to  be  her  destination,  she  should  rejoin 
her  husband,  who  had  been  for  some  time  im- 
prisoned there.  But  the  hope  of  being  thus 
once  more  united  to  almost  the  last  object  of 
affection  that  now  remained  to  her  upon  earth, 
if  Margaret  really  cherished  it,  was  doomed 
to  a  bitter  disappointment.  The  death  of  the 


1471.]  CHILDLESS,  AND  A  WIDOW.   305 

Murder  of  the  king.  Terrible  reverse  of  fortune. 

young  prince  made  it  now  an  object  of  great 
importance  to  the  reigning  line  that  Henry  him- 
self should  be  put  out  of  the  way,  and,  on  the 
very  night  of  Margaret's  arrival  at  the  Tower, 
her  husband  was  assassinated  in  the  room  which 
had  so  long  been  his  prison. 

Thus  all  Queen  Margaret's  bright  hopes  of 
happiness  were,  in  two  short  months,  complete- 
ly and  forever  destroyed.  At  the, close  of  the 
month  of  March  she  was  the  proud  and  happy 
queen  of  a  monarch  ruling  over  one  of  the 
most  wealthy  and  powerful  kingdoms  on  the 
globe,  and  the  mother  of  a  prince  who  was  en- 
dowed with  every  personal  grace  and  noble 
accomplishment,  affianced  to  a  high-born,  beau- 
tiful, and  immensely  wealthy  bride,  and  just 
entering  what  promised  to  be  a  long  and  glo- 
rious career.  In  May,  just  two  months  later, 
she  was  childless  and  a  widow.  Both  her  hus- 
band and  her  son  were  lying  in  bloody  graves, 
and  she  herself,  fallen  from  her  throne,  was  shut 
up,  a  helpless  captive,  in  a  gloomy  dungeon, 
with  no  prospect  of  deliverance  before  her  to 
the  end  of  her  days.  The  annals  even  of  roy- 
alty, filled  as  they  are  with  examples  of  over- 
whelming calamity,  can  perhaps  furnish  no 
other  instance  of  so  total  and  terrible  reverse 
of  fortune  as  this. 
2O—20 


306         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [147L 

The  body  of  King  Henry.  Borae  away  on  the  river  to  Cherteey. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 
CONCLUSION. 

ON  the  day  following  the  assassination  of 
Henry,  the  body  was  taken  from  the  Tow- 
er and  conveyed  through  the  streets  of  London, 
with  a  strong  escort  of  armed  men  to  guard  it, 
to  the  Church  of  St.  Paul's,  there  to  be  public- 
ly exhibited,  as  was  customary  on  such  occa- 
sions. Such  an  exhibition  was  more  necessary 
than  usual  in  this  case,  as  the  fact  of  Henry's 
death  might,  perhaps,  have  afterward  been  call- 
ed in  question,  and  designing  men  might  have 
continued  to  agitate  the  country  in  his  name, 
if  there  had  not  been  the  most  positive  proof 
furnished  to  the  public  that  he  was  no  more. 

The  body  remained  lying  thus  during  the 
day.  When  night  came,  it  was  taken  away 
and  carried  down  to  Blackfriar's — a  landing 
upon  the  river  nearly  opposite  Saint  Paul's. 
Here  there  was  a  boat  lying  ready  to  receive 
the  hearse.  It  was  lighted  with  torches,  and 
the  watermen  were  at  their  oars.  The  hearse 
was  put  on  board,  and  the  body  was  thus  borne 
away,  over  the  dark  waters  of  the  river,  to  the 


1471.]  CONCLUSION.  309 

Margaret  in  confinement.  Wallingford.  She  'is  ransomed. 

lonely  village  of  Chertsey,  where  it  had  been 
decided  that  he  should  be  interred. 

For  some  time  after  Henry's  death  Margaret 
was  kept  in  close  confinement  in  the  Tower.  At 
length,  finding  that  every  thing  was  quiet,  and 
that  the  new  government  was  becoming  firmly 
established,  the  rigor  of  the  unhappy  captive's 
imprisonment  was  relaxed.  She  was  removed 
first  to  Windsor,  and  afterward  to  Wallingford, 
a  place  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  where  she 
enjoyed  a  considerable  degree  of  personal  free- 
dom, though  she  was  still  very  closely  watched 
and  guarded. 

At  length,  about  four  years  afterward,  her 
father,  King  Rene',  succeeded  in  obtaining  her 
ransom  for  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  crowns. 
Eene  was  not  the  possessor  of  so  much  money 
himself,  but  he  induced  King  Louis  to  pay  it, 
on  condition  of  his  conveying  to  him  his  family 
domain. 

The  ransom  was  to  be  paid  in  five  annual  in- 
stallments, but  on  the  payment  of  the  first  in- 
stallment the  queen  was  to  be  released  and  al- 
lowed to  return  to  her  native  land.  It  was  stip- 
ulated, too,  that,  as  a  condition  of  her  release, 
she  was  formally  and  forever  to  renounce  all 
the  rights  of  every  kind  within  the  realm  of 


310         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.      [1476. 

The  commissioner.  Margaret  crosses  the  Channel.  At  Rouen. 


England  to  which  she  might  have  laid  claim 
through  her  marriage  with  Henry.  It  might 
have  been  supposed  that  they  would  have  re- 
quired her  to  sign  this  renunciation  before  re- 
leasing her.  But  it  was  held  by  the  law  of  En- 
gland, then  as  now,  that  a  signature  made  under 
durance  was  invalid,  the  signer  not  being  free. 
So  it  was  arranged  that  an  English  commission- 
er was  to  accompany  her  across  the  Channel, 
and  go  with  her  to  Kouen,  where  he  was  to  de- 
liver her  to  the  French  embassadors,  who,  in  the 
name  of  Louis,  were  to  be  responsible  for  her 
signing  the  document. 

This  plan  was  carried  into  effect.  Margaret 
set  out  from  the  castle  of  Wallingford  under 
the  care  of  a  man  on  whom  Edward's  govern- 
ment could  rely  for  keeping  a  close  watch  over 
her,  and  taking  care  that  she  went  on  quietly 
through  England  to  the  port  of  embarkation. 
This  port  was  Sandwich.  Here  she  embarked 
on  board  a  vessel,  with  a  retinue  of  three  ladies 
and  seven  gentlemen,  and  bade  a  final  farewell 
to  the  kingdom  which  she  had  entered  on  her 
bridal  tour  with  such  high  and  exultant  ex- 
pectations of  grandeur  and  happiness. 

She  arrived  at  Dieppe  in  the  beginning  of 
1476,  and  proceeded  immediately  to  Eouen, 
where  the  commissioner,  who  came  to  attend 


1476.]  CONCLUSION.     ,  311 

Her  renunciation.  Feelings  with  which  she  signed  it. 

her,  delivered  her  to  the  French  embassadors 
appointed  to  receive  her,  and  attend  to  the  sign- 
ing of  the  renunciation. 

The  document  was  written  in  Latin,  but  the 
import  of  it  was  as  follows : 

I,  Margaret,  formerly  in  England  married,  re- 
nounce all  that  I  could  pretend  to  in  England, 
by  the  conditions  of  my  marriage,  with  all  oth- 
er things  there,  to  Edward,  now  King  of  En- 
gland. 

It  cost  Margaret  no  effort  to  sign  this  paper. 
With  the  death  of  her  husband  and  her  son  all 
hope  had  been  extinguished  in  her  bosom,  and 
life  now  possessed  nothing  that  she  desired. 
She  signed  this  fatal  document,  renouncing  not 
only  all  claims  to  be  henceforth  considered  a 
queen,  but  all  pretension  that  she  had  ever  been 
one,  with  a  passive  indifference  and  unconcern 
which  showed  that  her  spirit  was  broken,  and 
that  the  fires  of  pride  and  ambition  which  had 
burned  so  fiercely  in  her  breast  were  now,  at 
last,  extinguished  forever. 

When  the  paper  was  signed  Margaret  was 
dismissed  and  left  at  liberty  to  go  her  own  way 
to  her  native  province  of  Anjou,  where  it  was 
her  intention  to  spend  the  remainder  of  her 


312         MARGARET  OF   ANJOU.      [1476. 

Ungenerousness  of  Louis.  An  escort  offered.  Danger. 

days.  Her  plan  was  to  pass  by  the  way  of  Par- 
is, in  order  to  see  once  more  her  cousin,  King 
Louis,  who  had  treated  her  with  so  much  con- 
sideration and  honor  when  she  was  on  her  way 
to  England  with  a  fair  prospect  of  finding  her 
husband  upon  the  throne.  But  the  case  was 
different  now,  Louis  thought,  and  instead  of  re- 
ceiving kindly  her  intimation  that  she  was  in- 
tending to  visit  Paris  on  her  way  home,  he  sent 
her  word  that  she  had  better  not  come,  and  ad- 
vised her  instead  to  make  the  best  of  her  way 
to  her  father  in  Anjou. 

He,  however,  as  if  to  soften  this  incivility, 
sent  an  escort  to  accompany  her  in  her  journey 
home,  but  Margaret  was  so  stung  by  her  cous- 
in's heartless  abandonment  of  her  in  her  dis- 
tress that  she  resolved  to  accept  no  favor  at  his 
hands ;  so  she  refused  the  escort,  and  set  out 
with  her  few  personal  companions  alone. 

This  little  blazing  up  of  the  old  flames  of 
pride  and  resentment  in  her  heart  came  near, 
however,  to  costing  Margaret  her  life,  for  she 
had  not  gone  far  on  her  journey  before  an  emer- 
gency occurred  in  which  an  escort  would  have 
been  of  great  service  to  her.  It  seems  that 
when  the  English  were  driven  out  of  Norman- 
dy, many  families  and  some  whole  villages  re- 
mained of  people  who  were  too  poor  to  return. 


1476.]  CONCLUSION.  31S 

English  people  in  Normandy.      Margaret  at  the  inn.      Riot  at  the  inn. 

These  people  were  now  in  a  very  low  and  mis- 
erable condition.  They  mourned  continually 
the  hard  necessity  by  which  they  had  been  left 
without  friends  or  protection  in  a  foreign  land ; 
and  they  understood,  too,  that  the  first  begin- 
ning of  the  abandonment  of  their  possessions  in 
France  by  the  English  was  the  cession  of  cer- 
tain provinces  by  the  government  of  Henry  VI. 
at  the  time  of  that  monarch's  marriage  with 
Margaret  of  Anjou,  and  that  all  the  subsequent 
misfortunes  of  their  countrymen  in  France,  by 
which,  in  the  end,  the  whole  country  had  been 
lost,  had  their  origin  in  these  transactions. 

Now  it  happened  that  Margaret,  on  her  jour- 
ney from  Rouen  to  Anjou,  stopped  the  first 
night  at  one  of  these  villages.  The  people,  see- 
ing a  party  of  strangers  come  to  town,  gathered 
round  the  inn  at  night  from  curiosity  to  learn 
who  they  might  be.  When  they  were  inform- 
ed that  it  was  Margaret  of  Anjou,  Queen  of  En- 
gland, who  had  been  banished  from  the  king- 
dom, and  was  now  returning  home,  they  were 
excited  to  the  highest  pitch  of  anger  against 
her  as  the  author  of  all  their  sufferings.  They 
made  a  rush  into  the  house  to  seize  her,  and,  if 
they  had  been  successful,  they  would  doubtless 
have  killed  her  upon  the  spot.  But  some  of 
the  gentlemen  who  were  in  her  party  defended 


314         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [1476. 

Margaret  arrives  in  Anjou.  Her  father. 

her  sword  in  hand,  and  kept  the  mob  at  bay 
until  she  gained  her  apartment.  They  guard- 
ed her  there  until  they  could  send  for  the  au- 
thorities, who  came  and  dispersed  the  mob. 
Margaret  immediately  returned  to  Rouen,  will- 
ing enough  now  to  accept  of  an  escort.  A  prop- 
er guard  was  provided  for  her,  and  under  the 
protection  of  it  she  set  out  once  more  on  her 
journey,  and  this  time  went  on  in  safety. 

When  Margaret  at  last  reached  her  native 
country  of  Anjou,  she  was  received  very  kind- 
ly by  her  father,  and  went  to  live  with  him  in 
a  castle  called  the  castle  of  Kecule'e,  situated 
about  a  league  from  Angers,  the  capital  of  the 
province. 

Here  she  remained  about  four  years.  It  was 
a  very  pleasant  place.  The  castle  was  situated 
upon  the  bank  of  a  river,  and  yet  in  a  com- 
manding situation,  which  afforded  a  pretty  view 
of  the  town.  There  was  a  beautiful  garden  at- 
tached to  the  castle,  and  a  gallery  of  painting 
and  sculpture.  Her  father,  King  Rene',  was  a 
painter  himself,  and  he  amused  himself  a  great 
deal  in  painting  pictures  to  add  to  his  collection 
or  to  give  to  his  friends. 

But  Margaret  could  take  no  interest  in  any 
of  these  things.  Her  mind  was  all  the  time 
filled  with  bitter  recollections  of  the  past,  which, 


1476.]  CONCLUSION.  315 

Dreadful  depression  of  spirits.          Its  effects.  Death  of  her  father. 

even  if  she  did  not  cling  to  and  cherish  them, 
she  could  not  dispel.  She  dwelt  continually 
upon  thoughts  of  her  husband  and  her  child. 
She  made  ceaseless  efforts  to  obtain  possession 
of  their  bodies,  in  order  that  she  might  have 
them  transported  to  Anjou,  and,  as  she  could 
not  succeed  in  this,  she  paid  annually  a  consid- 
erable sum  to  secure  the  services  of  priests  tc 
say  masses  over  their  graves  in  England,  in  or- 
der to  secure  the  repose  of  their  souls. 

Indeed,  the  anguish  and  agitation  which  con- 
tinually reigned  in  her  heart  preyed  upon  her 
like  a  worm  in  the  centre  of  a  flower.  t;  Her 
eyes,  once  so  brilliant  and  expressive,"  says  one 
of  her  historians,  "  became  hollow  and  dim,  and 
permanently  inflamed  from  continual  weeping." 
Indeed,  the  whole  mass  of  her  blood  became 
corrupted,  and  a  fearful  disease  affected  her 
once  beautiful  skin,  making  her  an  object  of 
commiseration  to  all  who  beheld  her. 

She  continued  in  this  state  until  her  father 
died.  He,  on  his  death-bed,  committed  her  to 
the  care  of  an  old  and  faithful  friend,  who,  aft- 
er King  Rene's  decease,  took  her  with  him  to 
his  own  castle  of  Damprierre,  which  was  situ- 
ated about  twenty-five  miles  farther  up  the 
river. 

But,  though  Margaret  was  treated  very  kind- 


316         MARGARET  OF  ANJOU.     [147& 


The  closing  scene. 


ly  by  the  friend  to  whom  her  father  thus  con- 
signed her,  she  did  not  long  survive  this  change. 
She  died,  and  was  buried  in  the  cathedral  at 
Angers,  and  for  centuries  afterward  the  ecclesi- 
astics of  the  chapter,  once  every  year,  at  the  re- 
turn of  the  proper  anniversary,  performed  a 
solemn  ceremony  over  her  grave  by  walking 
round  it  with  a  slow  and  measured  step,  sing- 
ing a  hymn. 


THE  END, 


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